Even if the Naipaul original remains the real masterpiece, the movie possesses its own languorous charm.
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05/17/02
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Mystic Masseur (2001)
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.
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... [More]
Starring: Aasif Mandvi, Om Puri, Jimi Mistry, Ayesha Dharker
Director: Ismail Merchant
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Reviews for Mystic Masseur
It plays out as a plodding, pointless and uninvolving series of incidents that never quite gel.
05/17/02
It provides an honest look at a community striving to anchor itself in new grounds.
05/17/02
The result is an eccentric, amusing fable that moves at an unhurried island pace, a picturesque tale that Merchant seems to have invested with an almost personal sense of spirit.
05/17/02
Top CriticWhere it might have been urbane, witty, ironic and politically charged, The Mystic Masseur is merely scenic, melodious and occasionally amusing.
05/17/02
Top CriticThe Mystic Masseur is billed as a comedy, but it's not very funny. It's a social satire, but it's not all that insightful.
05/17/02
It starts slowly, has few dramatic peaks and sketchy character development, and meanders without momentum.
05/17/02
The film is rich with colorful characters and enlivened by its strong, convincing picture of rural Trinidad.
05/16/02
As is, the film offers little intrigue and no climax.
05/16/02
Full of cartoonish characters and clichéd dialog, it's long and lame.
05/14/02
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05/12/02
Top CriticFor fans of period pieces in exotic locales, Merchant gives Masseur the right touch.
05/10/02
This steadily engrossing film captures the book's bracing humor and humanity.
05/08/02
Top CriticI was completely underwhelmed by this movie.
05/06/02
Top CriticA well-realized old-fashioned drama about one zealous individual’s passion for the possible.
05/04/02
Even fans of Ismail Merchant's work, I suspect, would have a hard time sitting through this one.
05/03/02
Those who savor well-drawn characters and exotic locales will find the touch of The Mystic Masseur to be most pleasurable indeed.
05/03/02
It's a charmed and frequently charming journey, but like Naipaul's flawed hero, the film suffers from unchecked ambition.
05/03/02
Top CriticA charming, vibrant, if under-edited adaptation of V.S. Naipaul's genially cynical novel.
05/03/02
Top CriticA subtle, humorous, illuminating study of politics, power and social mobility.
05/03/02
Top CriticWhat’s Hot On RT
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