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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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mississippi masala
Unfortunately, I was sent a standard American copy of the movie which, of course, doesn't function on a european system, despite my adress beeing in Switzerland. So I was kind of disapointed to have a)lost the money b)not been able to watch the movie. One is wrong to assume that every european household is having an american compatible DVD player.
Rating: 
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Decent, but not Nair's best work
Why are the two lead characters in love? It's not really clear, which is a problem since their relationship is the impetus that drives most of the plot developments in the film. Once the events get going, the plot provides an interesting platform for exploring different issues of race and family, but I feel like there's something a bit hollow in the emotional connection that's supposed to underlie the whole story. I almost felt more moved by some of the background relationships of the secondary characters (e.g the father and the estranged childhood friend he left behind in Uganda) than by that of the main characters.
That said, the film is not awful, and does some things well. It has a few genuinely funny moments, but I felt like the promise of the premise and plot was ultimately stronger than the execution in dialogue and character development. See this movie if you've already seen Nair's other movies and are looking to complete your knowledge of her opus, or have a particular interest in this genre of film, but don't put it on your top ten list on the basis of its independent merits. It's entertaining, but not one for the ages.
Rating: 
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A couple of shades can make a difference
This is an amazing movie and one I'm happy to have in my collection. The story is definitely not face-paced but has fine detail throughout. You get a feel for the diverse characters that inhabit this story involving: two continents, four cultures and the subtlety of various shades of skin tones. The love story is good but is enhanced by the subplot involving an East Indian's family exodus from their home in Africa. I guess you'd call it a drama? Hey, I don't know but there are multiple opportunities to share the characters' moments of irony, comedy and yes, love.
The real lesson here is- aren't we all just a couple of shades away from being labeled, defined or characterized by someone else's reality? You might be surprised what label has been attached to you!
Rating: 
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Honest Film
I had seen this film a number of times either on T.V. or by me popping it in on my DVD player. Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury are a pleasure to watch in this engaging story about a love affair between a Africa American male and an Indian woman, whom both has never been to there native land, and how their romance causes strife in a small Southern town. The movie handles the reactions by both families to the interracial union of Mina and Demetrius. Against all this, a subplot in the story revolves around the loss of a homeland and friendship between Choudhury's proud Ugandan national father and the Black Ugandan friend he left behind during Idi Amin's reign of terror.
There are very few movies that can capture the emotions that go along with such a sensitive and controversial matter. Most importantly the opinions, thoughts, and traditions, both negative and positive, of both the Indian and Black communities are fairly communicated through the movie. A must see film and the only one I'm aware of that explores the relationship between African Americans and ethnic Indians.
Rating: -
"Cruelty has no color."
Mississippi Marsala begins in Uganda, as Idi Amin expels all the non-African landowners, turning their homes and property back to the Africans. Many Indians were brought to Africa to build roads and remained to raise their families and future generations. One of these men, Jay (Roshan Seth), a lawyer, is forced to leave with his wife and small daughter, Mina. Eventually the family moves to Mississippi, where other relatives and friends have set down roots, in this case, all of them living in the Motel Monte Cristo, owned by one of their group of exiles. Life goes on as usual, the rituals, traditions and holidays of an India many of them have never even seen.
Mina (Sarita Choudury) has grown up, still living with her parents at twenty-four, a dutiful daughter. While her mother works in a liquor store and Mina cleans rooms at the motel, Jay spends the years suing the government of Uganda for redress of his property, still trapped in memories of the world he was forced to leave. When Mina has a minor car accident, she meets Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a man who has his own business, a carpet cleaning service, with his best friend T-Bone (Charles S. Dutton). Mina and Demetrius carry on a low-key romance that gradually becomes more intense. When Mina's relatives spot the couple at a motel in Biloxi, a fight breaks out, revealing the harsh racial truths that have so far lain dormant. Suddenly no one wants to use the carpet cleaning service, so Demetrius retaliates by suing Mina's cousin, who broke into the motel room. How the couple resolves their differences isn't as important as the social issues that are exposed.
The cinematography is excellent, the African countryside awash with color and change, as the exiled gather their few belongings and board a shabby bus. Equally as striking is the Indian community gathered at the Motel Monte Cristo, the rooms decorated with the few cultural artifacts they have collected over the years. The Indians retain the spirit and enthusiasm that defines them. Demetrius' family is equally impressive, warm and accepting of Mina, sharing their home and hospitality. Watching both of these families as they deal with everyday concerns, it is shocking to see how easily misunderstanding can break down communication, separating the wonderful characters into "us" and "them", an exact mirror of the issues in Uganda that left Jay's family homeless. Demetrius challenges Jay, decrying the Indian's sense of entitlement, the Indians' value of property. He suggests that "home is where the heart is", not off in some distant land that they may never return to, a lesson Jay will learn all too well. This exuberant film from director Mira Nair dishes up a cultural feast of color and emotion, contrasting the customs of people who share the same heart. Luan Gaines/2005.
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