OUTSOURCED (John Jeffcoat). 98 minutes. Opens Friday (August 29). For venues and times, see film times. Rating: NNNN
Movies with great premises usually begin well, then lose steam. Not this one.
Todd (Josh Hamilton) manages a call centre for a company that produces kitschy Americana. When the operation is outsourced to India, he’s forced to move there to train his replacements to take calls and sound like Yanks.
What ensues is part culture-clash comedy, part critique of global exploitation and (sounds cheesy but it’s not) part romantic comedy.
The script is fresh and lively, never more so than in a montage featuring Indians quoting scenes from famous U.S. movies. Boy-next-door Hamilton (Kicking And Screaming, The Bourne Identity) shows lots of comic charm, and Ayesha Dharker as his feisty protege has a smile that could light up Bombay.
A winner.
