“Bye, Butch.”

From Growing Up Smith.

In an attempt to give their son an American name to help him fit in, Bhaaskar (Anjul Nigam) and Nalini Bhatnagar (Poorna Jagannathan) give their son (Roni Akurati) the first name of Smith.  However, all other areas of Smith’s 1970’s American life are strictly steeped in their Indian traditions with little chance for Smith to blend with others, as his parents often give him substitutions to various American traditions.  Smith’s older sister, Asha (Shoba Narayan) is able to experience a bit more freedom now that she is in high school, but ten-year-old Smith is stuck watching, reading, and doing only what his parents allow.  This all changes when Smith develops a friendship with Amy (Brighton Sharbino), the cute girl that lives next door.  While Amy’s parents, Butch (Jason Lee) and Nancy (Hilarie Burton), are constantly fighting, she is able to find some peace hanging out with Smith.  The young boy quickly develops feelings for his pretty neighbor, but does not know how to handle developing a relationship without letting his disapproving parents find out.  Smith also builds an odd friendship with Amy’s dad who provides Smith with his slightly-redneck views on being an American, which only creates trouble for Smith as he tries to balance the ideologies of Butch against those of his father.  Craziness continues to build in young Smith’s life as he falls for Amy, fights to truly live out his American dream, and grow up in a way that will make his parents proud.

While this film has several very humorous scenes and developments, there is an undeniable tone of sadness that runs through the entire movie.  Akurati is a sweet lead for the film, making it very easy to share in his desires and emotions as the story progresses; Lee has a way of unexpectedly capturing the hearts of viewers by the end, as well.  An interesting story to follow with an overall happy ending, Growing Up Smith is a sweetly funny movie that packs a punch.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 98 minutes |Genre: comedy/coming-of-age/drama |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 3 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 1 of 10|Gore: 1 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|