Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Roland E. Zwick
"Nina's Heavenly Delights" is actually more interesting for the milieu in which it's set - a community of Indian ex-pats living and thriving in Scotland - than for the story it has to tell.Nina (Shelley Conn) moved to London a few years back to escape an arranged marriage to a man she knew she could never learn to love. When her father dies unexpectedly, Nina returns to Glascow to help run the Indian restaurant he's owned and operated for decades. Her partner in the endeavor is Lisa (Laura Fraser), a close friend of the family whom Nina finds herself falling in love with, a fact that may not sit too well with her traditionalist family."Nina's Heavenly Delights" is definitely a mixed-bag when it comes to virtues and flaws. It's at its best in its quieter, more serious moments, as Nina engages in thoughtful discussions with her family members and her new-found love interest. But when it aims for a more lighthearted tone, the movie tends towards the coy and the cloying. The coming-out aspects of the tale are handled with delicacy and restraint, though the determinedly upbeat ending is a trifle on the implausible and unconvincing side, to put it mildly. The movie also suffers from a surfeit of soulful montage sequences and irrelevant musical interludes, a holdover from its Bollywood roots, no doubt (the movie may be British in origin but its Indian influence is undeniable). Moreover, the blending of gourmet cooking with magical realism feels too reminiscent of "Like Water for Chocolate" for total comfort.However, the performances are so authentic and the whole enterprise so well-meaning and upbeat that it's hard not to have positive feelings about the movie in the long run.
Rabster22
"Scottish-Asian woman returns home to save her family's ailing restaurant." That was the scant, not to mention inaccurate synopsis that I read before viewing. I rather expected a dull, perhaps gritty story of a dysfunctional family with likely a bit of outside racism thrown in for good measure. But hey, it was set in Scotland and we don't see too many films like that so I sat down to watch... So what a treat I got!! This film is well-acted (especially by the two leads) and utterly engaging. I agree parts of the plot were wafer thin but it presented as a fairytale and a cracking good one at that. It was just joyful and poignant and above all uplifting. I am Scottish but neither Asian or gay so others can discuss any significance about such matters, for me it was just a great watch and that is all I care about.
goldie8
Love this movie,just saw it at our Gay & Lesbian Film Festival here in Wellington.Love the story and it is a movie that should go to general release.Music good,Story awesome and I really don't think people can get offended by the story line.It is just a great love story. I would have like to got more of the recipes,they were wonderful. Managed to get the DVD from England so will be playing every night.Soundtrack is wonderful as well,so will be keeping the eye out for that. Thank you for finally getting the film to the screen.Only took the director 5 years to get someone to fund it.unbelievable.Keep up the good work and looking for more. Chris
spindoctor-2
Loved it! I hope the upbeat feel of the film will attract audiences away from so much of the downer energy out there. People can get so jaded and cynical about feel-good fairy-tale romances. The story-line was fantastically unraveled and handled. This was a refreshing change.Its a film that represents many people's lives (family, culture, sex and religion). So many films that deal with gay culture build on a huge foundation of shame. This kind of film helps ethnic minorities feel more comfortable about their sexuality. Its pioneering films like this that turn the concept of shame-about-sexuality, upside down. Easily on par with Bend It Like Beckham, yet so different from other East/West films. Cooking and food theme was wonderful - very cleverly done. It did capture the Bollywood escapism and the feel good factor. And the acting was superb! Really enjoyed Suman. And our family belted out singing along to the soundtrack which we are looking forward to buying.
