Greetings,
Anyone else having Chuck withdrawals, like I am? Well, this post should help a little, since I will be reviewing a film starring the adorable Zachary Levi called Shades of Ray. This is an indie film from 2008, and it revolves around racial issues and relationship issues and family issues. It is an issue ridden movie, but they are all dealt with in a comedic and even heartwarming way. And that is a nice change from how some of these things are usually dealt with.
The story of Shades of Ray is about a guy named Ray Rehman, a half-American, half-Pakistani in his mid-twenties, and he is played by our own Zachary Levi. Let me stop for a minute. Zachary Levi (actual last name Pugh) is, according to my info, of Welsh descent, yet he got cast in this very ethnically specific role. Though he did a fantastic job here, I still wonder how this came to be. Oh, well, it's not the first time Hollywood has done this, as I made it quite clear in my Gerard Butler retrospective. And you know, I don't think Jake Gylenhall is Persian, or that Natalie Wood was Puerto Rican, and did anyone see Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's? Yeah, that last one was a bit much. Okay, I'm getting off track. Back to this fine film.
So, Ray is an aspiring actor and bartender. Or, you know, a bartender. And he lives with his best friend, Sal, played by Fran Kranz, a dude who is pretty funny. Ray's Pakistani father, Javaid, is played hilariously by Brian George, who some of you may recognize from Seinfeld. Anyway, he insists that his son only date Pakistani women who are strict Muslims. Interesting, because he obviously married a white woman, namely Ray's mother, Janet, played by one of my most beloved actresses, Kathy Baker. But when Javaid's wife kicks him out and he goes to stay with his son, we pretty much are told why he feels the way he does. Still, it seems that Ray only dates white women. He even has a serious girlfriend named Noel who is - Yep! - white. It's Bonnie Somerville playing her, so we're talking about a blonde haired, green eyed, which is close enough to blue, white girl. Uh-oh.
Unfortunately, while Ray's mother is aware of his "career" and girlfriend, his father thinks he is an investment banker and still holds out hope that he will settle down with one of those nice Pakistani, Muslim women that he holds in such high regard. Enter Sana, played by Sarah Shahi, the daughter of some of Javaid's friends, who he tries to fix up with Ray. After finding out that they have much in common, including their mixed heritage, Ray begins to question what it is that he really is looking for in a woman and his life in general. This leads to plenty of conflict and a young man just trying to figure things out.
Like I mentioned before, this movie does have a lot to do with the issue of race and ethnicity and the way that it affects people's lives. Even though I personally have never had to deal with it in this way, I understand that it can be, and usually is, a very serious thing. But I think this film handles it in a way that is actually true to life for a lot of people. Sometimes it's just about how it plays a part in the average, everyday actions and decisions of average, everyday life for average, everyday people. Many of us, no matter who or what we are, spend our time wondering what we want and what is best for us, and many different things can factor in to how we feel about that. Sometimes, like in this film, where we and our families come from has a lot to do with those decisions we make for our lives. And ethnicity also leads to the different traditions, cultures and beliefs that go along with them. So it can cause conflict in what one chooses to do and how the other people in their lives will have to cope with it. It certainly does here.
Still, even though Shades of Ray has a story line that is heavily centered around this subject, it also is about family and relationships and the insane dynamic between what we want and what our parents want for us, which makes it very universal. It also manages to work in the humor that can be involved in these situations, and it does so very well. Again, I appreciate movies that deal with racial issues in a very serious way, because they are necessary, but it is refreshing to see it done like this, too. So, factor in all of this, and you've got yourself a simple but wonderful story, full of love and laughter and life. And Levi. Yeah, if you're a fan of my sweet Zachary, give this movie a chance. If you're not a fan, what's your problem? And check it out anyway.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
