Meet the Patels

This extended home movie documentary by siblings Geeta and Ravi Patel draws laughs based on intergenerational and intercultural divisions within the Indian-American community. Geeta is behind the camera, recording the family's efforts to find a wife for Ravi, an actor, who narrates here and also occasionally appears in animated sequences as a cartoon version of himself. But the most memorable characters are their parents, Champa and Vasant, traditionalists determined to see their son married to an appropriate Indian bride, although they are also willing to make some adjustments to the process their family has followed since time immemorial—which has been to not just wed another “Patel” (a name more common in India than Smith or Jones is in America) but also a Patel from a specific region in the Gujarat area. Ravi has been secretly dating an American named Audrey for some time, but when they break up, he agrees to accept his parents' help in finding a suitable mate. That involves going over résumés from Indian dating sites, meeting plausible candidates, and even attending a “Patel convention” where marriageable members of the huge clan engage in speed-dating. Ravi also visits friends and family who invariably have certain women in mind. Most of this is genial and good-natured, but also somewhat repetitive, and the outcome of Ravi's search for a bride probably won't come as much of a surprise for viewers. Still, this sporadically amusing true-life rom-com should be considered a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)