If there’s an invisible force pulling two lonely souls to together, does it meant that they’re meant for each other?
One of the main reason why The Lunchbox is so acclaimed is because it’s grounded, (mostly) muted, uniquely remake-proof, yet has a magical feeling to it. It’s almost if dabbawala is Cupid, pairing two lonely souls together. And it’ll be up to them if they wanna stay on their lonely path, or boldly stray away from it.
My main gripe…
Watching movie can sometimes be a chore. And that's what I felt watching this. The movie asks you invest in the emotional core of the relationship between the 2 protagonists, yet given you zero reason why you should do so. A movie is doomed when it tries to be a character(s) centric drama but neglected to have any characters with depth. Or a love story without any romance. Plus, the bland cinematography doesn't help.
Quite a disappointment considering the hype. The screenplay is really superficial, covering the key theme of the films in numerous plot points, but never bothering to give them any depth whatsoever. In fact, I hardly knows about the protagonist’s motivation, challenges or even him as a human person, as everything about his character and growth were skimmed through as fast as possible.
This could’ve been a vastly superior film if focus more on the relationship between the two protagonists, rather than the episodic structure during the first half, and the sappy family drama during the second half.
