The Tiger Hunter

Danny Pudi stars as Sami Malik, an engineer who travels from his village in India—where he runs the local electronic repair shop—to Los Angeles in order to take a high-paying position in an American firm. Sami is determined to live up to his father's reputation—a man revered in his village as a brave tiger hunter—but when he arrives, the job is no longer available. Sami is given a temp drafting job in the basement and a spot in an apartment that is overcrowded with overqualified professionals from India working as taxi drivers, waiters, and dog walkers. When his girlfriend back home informs him that her military officer father is taking her to America to interview potential husbands, his friends (Rizwan Manji, Jon Heder) team up to make Sami appear to be a big American success, complete with mansion and servants. Director/co-writer Lena Khan's The Tiger Hunter is a fun immigrant story with moments of comic fantasy and screwball coincidence that undercuts stereotypes (without quite transcending them) while delivering simple messages: be true to yourself, be generous with others, be honest and open. An entertaining underdog story that celebrates friendship and community, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)