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Growing Up Smith

Play trailer 1:52 Poster for Growing Up Smith PG-13,  2017,  1h 42m,  Comedy/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Watchlist 73% 11 Reviews Tomatometer 81% 250+ Ratings Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
In the 1970s suburban America, all 10-year-old Smith wants to do is watch Happy Days, play with his Star Wars figurines, and hang out with the girl-next-door. But things are not that easy when he has to deal with his overbearing father pushing his Indian heritage on him every second of every day.

Critics Reviews

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Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times Feb 9, 2017
A strained cross between broad, culture-clash comedy and wistful coming-of-age tale, "Growing Up Smith" is a well-intentioned fizzle that misses what should have been an easily reachable mark. Go to Full Review
John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter Feb 3, 2017
A crowd-friendly immigrant's tale painted with a thick coat of '70s nostalgia. Go to Full Review
Neil Genzlinger New York Times Feb 2, 2017
The film has accidental topicality now with the debate over immigration swirling, but you don't need to burden it with politics to be touched by its tale of a child who is pulled by two very different cultural worlds. Go to Full Review
Asia Frey Lagniappe (Mobile, AL) Aug 23, 2018
Flawed but not without its merits, including heart, humor and a look at the complex immigrant experience that hides a painful depth beneath its amusing surface. The film sneaks up on you with a family drama that is surprisingly unsparing. Go to Full Review
Sean P. Means Salt Lake Tribune May 4, 2017
2/4
The joys and pains of childhood are familiar across all cultures -- and, as the cloying comedy Growing Up Smith demonstrates, hackneyed variations on The Wonder Years also are universal. Go to Full Review
Josh Terry Deseret News (Salt Lake City) Apr 28, 2017
Lee provides the kind of welcome down-to-earth good-old-boy charm he used in TV's My Name is Earl and Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Theodore R Sep 19, 2018 We watched this last night. Great movie, funny and goofy but entertaining.
May 14, 2018 My family and I just happened upon this movie and ABSOLUTELY loved it!!! I am telling everyone to watch this sweet cultural coming of age story. We laughed and cried watching Growing Up Smith. See more
Kylo S Apr 6, 2018 While the film itself is capably constructed, the script lacks any kind of edge to it, making this comedy-drama light on emotion and barren on laughs. See more
Ron M Feb 24, 2018 Funny and endearing, but it is spoiled a little by its bad ending. (First and only viewing - 2/24/2018)
Hagrid W Feb 5, 2018 Sweet, warm, funny coming-of-age flick full of charm that is sure to please. Definitely worth a watch. It will give you laughs and smiles. See more
Luke R Feb 4, 2018 The first crush. The film was completed back in the T15, but it only released recently. Another Hollywood's Indian connection theme. This is about an Indian family living is the United States. Everything was told from a young boy's viewpoint. Growing up in a traditional Indian house, daily facing the western society, his struggle on caught between two cultures were shown to us as a hilarious life adventure. I have been waiting for this film, at some stage I had forgotten its existence. When I came across an old trailer I've had saved in my hard drive, immediately I started to stream the film. It does not have big stars nor the big budget. It was a simple comedy about the culture collision. So there's no reason to expect it to surprise me. I enjoyed just as the way it was. The original title was 'Good Ol' Boy', upon release, it was renamed. Both the titles justifies on what the film had narrated. It was a 70s tale, a little Indian family in the United States is almost living the American dream had to face the cultural differences. A young boy from the family named Smith is obedient to his parents, but when love bug bites him, all are going to change forever. When a most famous family in their neighbourhood becomes close to them, kids from both the families develops a think friendship that goes all the way from their homes to the school. But it was more than a friendship for them. As the days of months of cultural exchange between them while their parents struggling to get along, finally, what brings the twist in the tale takes us straight to the finale. -xX] There she was, a touch of heaven a mere 30 yards from me, yet a heaven unreachable. [Xx- The story was a flashback. The old Smith recalls his childhood memory, particularly his first crush. The cross culture narratives are really fun, especially when they highlight the outcome. Because the outcome is not same for everybody, but how they make it for their comfort. It was a typical Indian parenting. But the kids wanted to experience the real America. Just like the Oscar nominated animated short 'Sanjay's Super Team'. I think the writing was good, that included writers from both the cultures. Yet there were some scenes, too offendable, if you are an Indian. Because Indians easily offend for everything. Since it was a comedy flick, those things do not mean anything so seriously. It was just a way to make it very funnier, but the things became sillier. That's a traditional way of making a Hollywood comedy. If you are familiar with that, you will get it. But they have pushed it hard, yet the film was not harmed with boring cliches. From the picture colour tone to everything, takes us to the 70s, like it was made 30-40 years ago. Nice casting too. Particularly the boy. And not to forget his father as well who might have been a supporting character, but a show stealer. Jason Lee too had a decent role and so the rest of them. A feature film directional debut for the filmmaker and he was not bad at all. He should only get better from here on. It is entertaining. A good timepass film, a good weekend film to watch with family and friends. It was a nice comedy that's gone unnoticed for several reasons which are common for such small titles. But in this digitally streaming world at your finger tip, that's should not happen. If you are reading this, then I say try it. Of course it was not a great film, but one of the best films of the year. The critics say it was a nice film and so those small chunks of people who saw it also thumb upped. Now it's your turn to join them or go against than totally ignore it! 7/10 See more
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Growing Up Smith

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the 1970s suburban America, all 10-year-old Smith wants to do is watch Happy Days, play with his Star Wars figurines, and hang out with the girl-next-door. But things are not that easy when he has to deal with his overbearing father pushing his Indian heritage on him every second of every day.
Director
Frank Lotito
Producer
Steve Straka, Frank Lotito
Screenwriter
Gregory Scott Houghton, Anjul Nigam, Paul Quinn
Distributor
Good Deed Entertainment
Production Co
Good Deed Entertainment, Emedia Films, Brittany House Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Some Language|Brief Drug Use)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 3, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.9K
Runtime
1h 42m
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