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Movies / On DVD / Mystic Masseur
Mystic Masseur

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Mystic Masseur (2001)

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52 %
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Reviews Counted: 64

Fresh: 33

Rotten:31

Average Rating: 5.8/10

Consensus: Though pretty to look at, The Mystic Masseur is too slow-paced and lacks narrative tension.

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release: May 3, 2002 Limited

Box Office: $291,000

Synopsis: THE MYSTIC MASSEUR is a delightfully warm, funny drama about Ganesh (Assif Mandvi), an ethnic Indian living in Trinidad. While working as a teacher in Port of Spain, Ganesh learns of his father's death. After returning home to his country... THE MYSTIC MASSEUR is a delightfully warm, funny drama about Ganesh (Assif Mandvi), an ethnic Indian living in Trinidad. While working as a teacher in Port of Spain, Ganesh learns of his father's death. After returning home to his country village for the funeral, he decides to stay and write books. His chronically hiccupping auntie (Zohra Segal) encourages him. Ramlogan (the great Om Puri), an old family friend, pushes the bookish Ganesh to pursue his beautiful young daughter, Leela (Ayesha Dharker of Santosh Sivan's THE TERRORIST). Ramlogan is delighted when Ganesh and Leela get married but later Leela grows frustrated with Ganesh's total immersion in his writing work. When his first book fails to sell, Ganesh returns to healing, and soon becomes a local legend, THE MYSTIC MASSEUR. Ismail Merchant (producer of the Merchant-Ivory films) directed the film, and effortlessly captures the simple beauty of his locations. The veteran cast is superb, bringing the perfect light touch to the material. Mandvi is particularly good in portraying Ganesh's believable transformation from bookworm to celebrity. THE MYSTIC MASSEUR is an adaptation of Sir V. S. Naipaul's first novel. Naipaul won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. [More]

Starring: Aasif Mandvi, Om Puri, Jimi Mistry, Ayesha Dharker

Starring: Aasif Mandvi, Om Puri, Jimi Mistry, Ayesha Dharker, Zohra Segal, James Fox, Sakina Jaffrey

Director: Ismail Merchant

Director: Ismail Merchant
Screenwriter: Caryl Phillips
Producer: Richard Hawley, Nayeem Hafizka
Composer: Richard Robbins
Studio: ThinkFilm

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 25, 2003

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Trailer

Interactive Features:

  • Interactive Menus
  • Scene Selection

Reviews for Mystic Masseur

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Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Time Out
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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No review available.

comment Comment
07/02/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

A real clunker. A well-made, thoughtful, well-acted clunker, but a clunker nonetheless.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/04/02
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/26/02
Arizona Republic
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An affectionate, sun-bathed memoir.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
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Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
09/18/02
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
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What could have become just another cautionary fable is allowed to play out as a clever, charming tale %u2013 as pleasantly in its own way as its self-dramatizing characters.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
08/28/02
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
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A lyrical metaphor for cultural and personal self-discovery and a picaresque view of a little-remembered world.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
08/23/02
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ratings Image

Much of the humor is at the expense of these transplanted Indians, and would be considered exploitative had it not been made by people whom it's mocking.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
08/16/02
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
Ratings Image

The faithful will enjoy this sometimes wry adaptation of V.S. Naipaul’s novel, but newcomers may find themselves stifling a yawn or two during the first hour.

Full Review Source: Des Moines Register | comment Comment
08/15/02
Jeffrey Bruner
Des Moines Register
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Occasionally funny, sometimes inspiring, often boring.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
08/01/02
Ryan Cracknell
Film Threat
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A warm-hearted gem of a film.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
07/20/02
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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A fairly dull adaptation of some highly regarded material.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
07/19/02
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
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A bore that tends to hammer home every one of its points.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
06/13/02
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
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Although some of its plotting feels forced ... The Mystic Masseur coasts along nicely on Merchant's sharply honed craftsmanship, which grants the stunning Trinidad locations an extra degree of lushness.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
06/10/02
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY
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The pacing is deadly, the narration helps little and Naipaul, a juicy writer, is negated.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
06/07/02
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune
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