Cast: Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal
Director: Siddharth Malhotra
Producer: Karan Johar (Dharma Productions)
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Rating: **1/2
'We are Family', directed by debutant filmmaker Siddharth Malhotra, is a frivolous attempt at making a tearjerker drama, which fails because of loopholes in the screenplay. The story revolves around a family with one man, two women (one, the ideal mother and the other, a striving stepparent) sparring each other, and three children who hate their stepmom in the first half of the movie. 'We are Family' tries to put forward incidences with overflowing emotions, but fails because of its familiar structure and the inevitable comparison to 'Stepmom', the more superior Hollywood film from where the story is taken.
Aman and Maya (Arjun Rampal and Kajol) have been divorced for three years now with joint custody of their three children, Anjali (Diya Sonecha), Ankush (Nominath Ginsburg) and Aleya (Aanchal Munjal). Aman shares a fairly good relationship with his ex-wife and children until he introduces his girlfriend Shreya (Kareena Kapoor) to his family and wants her to be a part of their life. Shreya, with no prior experience with kids, fails to live up to the expectations of being a mother. The kids and the adults alike torment her for the same. The entire movie hereafter is about the contention whether Shreya will be able to live up to the standard set by Maya. At this stage, Maya is diagnosed with cancer and the responsibility on Shreya's part increases twofold.
'We are Family' has the good starcast going for it. Strong performances come from the female leads, Kareena and Kajol. But, despite Kareena's creditable performance, the evergreen charm of Kajol, who plays the aggrieved-by-life mother, steals the thunder ultimately. Amidst all this, Arjun Rampal is a man who is not sure of the woman he loves more. Though Arjun has become pruned as an actor in some of his recent films, his work here is not among the better performances he has done. The confusion in his acting skills is also probably due to the confusion and subtlety in the role he plays in 'WAF'. However, the three kids have done an excellent job and give a cute touch to the movie.
Director Siddharth Malhotra has taken a difficult subject for a first-timer like him to handle. And sadly, he has not been able to do justice with this official remake of 'Stepmom'. However, one thing which can't be ignored about his direction is the visual appeal of the movie, but he loses it when it comes to playing out the emotional aspects. The movie is unpredictable at times because of loose connections in the screenplay. The 13-year-old daughter Aleya, who plays a mature girl in the first-half, who understands the family's situation well, is seen partying all of a sudden in the second-half, just because her friends think she is 'uncool'.
After Maya is diagnosed with cervical cancer, the 'family' continuously makes her feel more close to death as her husband and kids keep asking if she is dying instead of cheering her up to live life to its fullest. There may be an excuse to this because the movie is not about the disease and it is, of course, a Karan Johar banner movie. The portrayal of the song 'Humesha – forever' is a like a funeral for a living person. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music has done its job. Also, all tracks of the movie have been shot beautifully and placed where they are required.
Unfortunately, 'We are Family' is an overplayed version of 'Stepmom'. The movie also has some confusing facts attached to it. Whom does Arjun Rampal actually love among the two women? He is shown as a man who is actually holding one woman's hand and crying for the other. Will loving children get angry from their mother when she tells them she has cancer? Is it justified just because they think she is lying, like their father? Hats off to such a family!
All said and done, the director's efforts at tugging at the heartstrings of the audience works but only towards the end. The movie is worth a watch only if one hasn't watched 'Stepmom'. Much of the film could have been done in way that it does not encompass the freedom of the original. What was supposed to be a heartwarming remake of 'Stepmom' has turned out to be a gut-wrenching emotional drama.
By Abhishek Pandey / Sanskriti Media & Entertainment
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Director: Siddharth Malhotra
Producer: Karan Johar (Dharma Productions)
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Rating: **1/2
'We are Family', directed by debutant filmmaker Siddharth Malhotra, is a frivolous attempt at making a tearjerker drama, which fails because of loopholes in the screenplay. The story revolves around a family with one man, two women (one, the ideal mother and the other, a striving stepparent) sparring each other, and three children who hate their stepmom in the first half of the movie. 'We are Family' tries to put forward incidences with overflowing emotions, but fails because of its familiar structure and the inevitable comparison to 'Stepmom', the more superior Hollywood film from where the story is taken.Aman and Maya (Arjun Rampal and Kajol) have been divorced for three years now with joint custody of their three children, Anjali (Diya Sonecha), Ankush (Nominath Ginsburg) and Aleya (Aanchal Munjal). Aman shares a fairly good relationship with his ex-wife and children until he introduces his girlfriend Shreya (Kareena Kapoor) to his family and wants her to be a part of their life. Shreya, with no prior experience with kids, fails to live up to the expectations of being a mother. The kids and the adults alike torment her for the same. The entire movie hereafter is about the contention whether Shreya will be able to live up to the standard set by Maya. At this stage, Maya is diagnosed with cancer and the responsibility on Shreya's part increases twofold.
'We are Family' has the good starcast going for it. Strong performances come from the female leads, Kareena and Kajol. But, despite Kareena's creditable performance, the evergreen charm of Kajol, who plays the aggrieved-by-life mother, steals the thunder ultimately. Amidst all this, Arjun Rampal is a man who is not sure of the woman he loves more. Though Arjun has become pruned as an actor in some of his recent films, his work here is not among the better performances he has done. The confusion in his acting skills is also probably due to the confusion and subtlety in the role he plays in 'WAF'. However, the three kids have done an excellent job and give a cute touch to the movie.
Director Siddharth Malhotra has taken a difficult subject for a first-timer like him to handle. And sadly, he has not been able to do justice with this official remake of 'Stepmom'. However, one thing which can't be ignored about his direction is the visual appeal of the movie, but he loses it when it comes to playing out the emotional aspects. The movie is unpredictable at times because of loose connections in the screenplay. The 13-year-old daughter Aleya, who plays a mature girl in the first-half, who understands the family's situation well, is seen partying all of a sudden in the second-half, just because her friends think she is 'uncool'.
After Maya is diagnosed with cervical cancer, the 'family' continuously makes her feel more close to death as her husband and kids keep asking if she is dying instead of cheering her up to live life to its fullest. There may be an excuse to this because the movie is not about the disease and it is, of course, a Karan Johar banner movie. The portrayal of the song 'Humesha – forever' is a like a funeral for a living person. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music has done its job. Also, all tracks of the movie have been shot beautifully and placed where they are required.
Unfortunately, 'We are Family' is an overplayed version of 'Stepmom'. The movie also has some confusing facts attached to it. Whom does Arjun Rampal actually love among the two women? He is shown as a man who is actually holding one woman's hand and crying for the other. Will loving children get angry from their mother when she tells them she has cancer? Is it justified just because they think she is lying, like their father? Hats off to such a family!
All said and done, the director's efforts at tugging at the heartstrings of the audience works but only towards the end. The movie is worth a watch only if one hasn't watched 'Stepmom'. Much of the film could have been done in way that it does not encompass the freedom of the original. What was supposed to be a heartwarming remake of 'Stepmom' has turned out to be a gut-wrenching emotional drama.
By Abhishek Pandey / Sanskriti Media & Entertainment
