Lonely in America

Indian immigrant Arun (Chowdhry) arrives in New York with little to his name besides a turquoise suit, computer literacy and boundless optimism. 'I feel I own the place already!' he declares. He dumps the largesse - a job on Max's newsstand, an apartment and extended-familial support - offered by his uncle, in favour of embracing the American dream (and white girlfriend) in his own inimitable fashion. The script based on a story by producer Tirlok Malik contains some comic gems, but what insights it offers into the experience of New York's Asian community are largely travestied by Brown's inexperienced, clumsy direction and his over-forced atmosphere of naive triumphalism. This low-budget romantic comedy oscillates like a metronome between likeable and naff.