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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
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 79% 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.
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Growing Up Smith

Critics Reviews

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Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times 02/09/2017
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 02/03/2017
A crowd-friendly immigrant's tale painted with a thick coat of '70s nostalgia. Go to Full Review Neil Genzlinger New York Times 02/02/2017
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) 08/23/2018
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 05/04/2017
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) 04/28/2017
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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x x @indonyc Feb 13 TRITE. CLICHE. HACKNEYED. COMING OF AGE IMMIGRANT STORY. YAWN. THE WRITING IS SIMPLY MEDIOCRE. SHOCKED THIS WAS EVER GREENLIT. See more Anthony P @Ajude 03/31/2025 Movie has heart. I liked the Jason Lee character who seemed to show up and key moments. See more isla s @RT89656869 09/04/2022 This is a fairly light watch. Its got some fairly amusing moments but I wouldn't say its a laugh out loud watch as such. Its of course about multiculturalism - getting by in a local community as an obvious outsider. I liked the female friend the main character had - Amy Brunner. Its a pleasant watch which is worth seeing, yes. See more Josh B @joshbbergs 12/29/2020 A mess of predictable and shallow generation gap and culture difference skits. Smith Bhatnagar coming-of-age is just a string of cliches, and you find yourself waiting for the next 'gag' hoping it might be better than the last. Poorly written and directed it seems to miss any tension or denouement, just putting along with the same shallow comedic tone. How did this garner any good reviews? See more 09/18/2019 Two mistakes found after watching for first 10 mins (still watching).. 1) $-Rs conversion rate in 1979 was around INR 20 not 65. 2) Bhatnagars are Kayastha who are hardcore meateater, so they have no problem eating animals. <majority of indians are meateater) Ending seems pretty abrupt. Overall this movie needed major rework on storyline to make it more interesting. See more 10/03/2018 What a refreshing and beautiful film. It takes me back to my own childhood, and reminds me just how different cultures can be either similar, or intolerant. See more Read all reviews
Growing Up Smith

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Cast & Crew

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Frank Lotito

Director

Jason Lee

Butch Brunner

Anjul Nigam

Bhaaskar Bhatnagar

Brighton Sharbino

Amy Brunner

Hilarie Burton

Nancy Brunner

Roni Akurati

Smith Bhatnagar

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Growing Up Smith

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Growing Up Smith

Growing Up Smith (2015) Growing Up Smith (2015) Growing Up Smith (2015) Growing Up Smith (2015) View more photos

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