Absolutely Fantastic

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Tilo (Aishwarya Rai) was left an orphan in India when her parents were killed by bandits. Happily, an old lady, skilled in herbal medicine, aka "spices", took her on as a pupil. One of the things that Tilo learned was how to "listen" to the spices and predict futures, including her own. Now, Tilo lives outside San Francisco and runs a well-known spice shop, where she is revered as an herbalist and good person. But, she avoids romance, in part because her instructor drilled in the need for personal sacrifice in her life's work. Also, she has never been to SF, despite living so close. One day, a handsome motorcyclist, Doug (Dylan McDermott) is injured in front of her shop. Tilo immediately senses that this man is "trouble" for her celibacy but she mixes a concoction of herbs that heals his wounds more quickly. For his part, Doug is attracted to Tilo's great beauty and gentle ways. He makes a point of trying to get her to go on a date. But, even spending time thinking of this man causes Tilo to lose balance and blame mishaps to her regular customers on her own inattention. Can Tilo resist Doug? Will a romance upset her world? This is an exotic, stunningly beautiful film that is virtually unknown to most of the public. Perhaps, fans of McDermott have sought it out; lucky them. Part of the film's success lies in the glimpse into the world of Indian spices and heritage, especially the strong dedication of Hindi herbalists. The movie also features two lovely performances from the stars and a great supporting cast. Costumes, setting, photography, and a sensitive direction complete its journey to excellence. Do make a strong effort to find this gem, romance and quality film fans. It will turn your head and touch your heart.

A tale in which spices have magical powers and the mistress of spices, a beautiful Hindu girl owner of a spice bazaar in San Francisco, is a sort of good witch. Her devotion to the spices guarantees her that they would reveal their secrets when somebody goes asking for help. However, the Mistress cannot leave the shop for any reason, can't be touched by anybody especially by a man, and has always to work for the welfare of the others not for her own. Otherwise, she would lose all her powers.The story is really non-believable, lacks in magic despite telling a story of Magic, and it is not engaging at all. In fact, the plot is ridiculous, not even believable for kids. If the script had focused just on the properties of spices (no in their magical virtues) and the social part of the shop and its owner, the plot would have improved immensely. Moreover, the movie is corny and has no charm.Some of the actors are good and believable in their roles, especially the always lovely Aishwarya Rai as the Mistress Lilo, Nirin Ganatra as her friend taxi-driver Haroun, and Anupam Kher as the traditional grandfather of a modern Indo-American girl. All of them also present in the very charming Bride and Prejudice.Real Bollywood movies are more daring and have much more class and charm that this one. I was extremely disappointed and, most importantly, bored and even embarrassed!

In spite of a very heavy schedule I took time off to watch this because I was curious to see how a film would handle the fantastical elements of the book.I am sorry to say this so baldly: the film borders on the absurd in some parts and proved to be a damp squib in others despite the (ridiculous)numerous shots of bright red hot chilli peppers in almost every frame.There was absolutely no chemistry between the two main characters,bunches of hot chilli peppers notwithstanding. I have no doubt Aishwarya has thousands of loyal fans who would defend her "acting talent" but again I failed to see any evidence of it in this movie.That the director is a novice, a wanna be, and could do with some training is a given. He simply did not know how to handle material so rich in possibilities. He lost every opportunity in the book to make the characters come alive. Even worse, he fails to lift the movie from being a mere depiction of absurd hocus pocus to one where magical elements would seem almost natural even in the humdrum life of a Western city.In the end, I felt impelled to laugh every time I saw Aish go up to the window to gaze out wordlessly with a bunch of red peppers hanging behind her.Perhaps the director believed he could ride on the bandwagon of success that all Indian things seem to have currently but he seems to have miscalculated his own ability to interpret a story such as this even with wife Gurinder standing by his side.

there certainly was zeeeero chemistry between the two leads but i don't think it was due to the lack of "smootching", ash and shahrukh had chemistry in devdas and everyone knows they didn't kiss, so i rather blame the actors in MOS who obviously were very uncomfortable with each other. ASH disappointed me in this flick, going through her filmography feels like being on a roller-coaster, sometimes she'll give an amazing performance (like in devdas or khakee) and at other times (like in MOS) she'll just hammer her lines and look as blank as a board that's just been erased.I won't even get started on that Mcdermott guy, Geez! display some emotion man!! that scene when they're in bed together felt like watching the weather channel, no scratch that, it felt like watching my grandma cutting her toenails while watching the weather channel. what was the director thinking?? Gosh, i remember complaining about the lack of fire in Bride and Prejudice, well, this movie makes B&P look like the new Gone with the Wind.