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Growing Up Smith

ComedyDramaFamily

In 1979, an Indian family moves to America with hopes of living the American Dream. While their 10-year-old boy Smith falls head-over-heels for the girl next door, his desire to become a "good old boy" propels him further away from his family's ideals than ever before.

Year

2017

Duration

1h 42m

IMDb

6.7

Hero Poster

Cast

Frank Lotito

Director

Jason Lee

Butch Brunner

Anjul Nigam

Bhaaskar Bhatnagar

Cast

Frank Lotito

Director

Jason Lee

Butch Brunner

Anjul Nigam

Bhaaskar Bhatnagar

Brighton Sharbino

Amy Brunner

Hilarie Burton

Nancy Brunner

Roni Akurati

Smith Bhatnagar

Poorna Jagannathan

Nalini Bhatnagar

Samrat Chakrabarti

Older Smith Bhatnagar

Shoba Narayan

Asha Bhatnagar

Jake Busey

Officer Dick

Tim Guinee

Officer Bob

AW

Alison Wright

Mrs. Reynolds

AH

Austin Harrod

Billy MacNamara

James Hyland

Stan Swanson

JH

Jack Hyland

Steve Swanson

Paul Castro Jr.

Patrick

Deema Aitken

Dude #1

Jacqui Denski

School Teacher

BS

Ben Sloane

Dude #2

Anjul Nigam

Writer

Paul Quinn

Writer

GS

Gregory Scott Houghton

Writer

Trailer

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Comments

10 Comments

Emmanuel BillionJul 29, 2026

Very great movie. It's worth watching

Rethabile Reey MohonApr 2, 2025

C'est Dieu Qui DonneMay 23, 2023

Growing up Smith can give you a freshly happy times. An Indian family of parents with an elder daughter and a younger son is in "States" to make a good life, earn well as CPA and though, doesn't say so but return to a comfortable retired life in India. It is hard work and harder still to see that American culture does not wash away the Indian values. But it is difficult for kids not to be affected by the culture they become part of every day. And there lies the little lovable tale beautifully directed by Frank Lotito. There are nuggets of humours spread around to bounce up your mood for happy viewing. Everyone plays the part perfectly well but not for an Oscar. Watching "Growing up Smith" just after I read Fatima Mirza's "A place for Us" brought me out of the gloom of Rafiq's family saga of moving to US. I am also reminded of Mira Nair's "The Namesake". Making a life in a different culture has many such stories. This one is "Cool" as they will say in the land that builds dreams; "The United States of America" Watch it, you will love it and feel had a good time

U05901May 23, 2023

It's 1979 America. Smith Bhatnagar is a 10 year old Hindu American boy. He is introduced to the two loves of his life. His father tells him about his arranged marriage expected when he's 22. There is also Amy Brunner, the girl next door. His older sister is secretly dating a white boy. He gets bullied at school often rescued by Amy's father Butch (Jason Lee). Amy's parents, Butch and Nancy (Hilarie Burton), are the wild, fun couple of the neighborhood which hides some inner conflicts. Smith deals with the culture clash while Amy deals with a disintegrating home life. There are some funny insightful takes on an immigrant boy in the white suburban world. The two kids are endearing although less narration would help. The narration gets used as Smith's inner voice whereas I would prefer the character to say many of those things out loud. There is a couple of incidents where it should be his inner voice. There are scenes that surprise me. I'm taken by Butch's talk with the bully which is something I've never seen before. The adult Smith section is missing a couple of scenes. It's missing him with his sick Indian wife and it's missing him with an Adult Amy. They don't have to add much but I would have liked visual images of the two women. I just have a lot of little issues with new director Frank Lotito. For example, the closing song is "I can't help myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" from The Four Tops. That's a 60's song and this movie is almost 80's. A better filmmaker would figure that out.

😂_وا_هبييل_هذا_😂May 23, 2023

Refreshing! I'd like to see more movies like this. Jason Lee anchored it for me. His character was a good character and he played it very well. Brighton Sharbino was a good decision on the casting director's end too. Everybody was great. I never wrote a review on IMDB but felt compelled to write one for this movie. Enjoyed it a lot.

Henok wendmuMay 23, 2023

Something here for everyone. not just another throw-away coming of age movie. Jason Lee as Butch Brunner was outstanding. There was a definite bodhisattva vibe to his character that was truly compelling.

Bahiyya HaneesaMay 23, 2023

Growing Up Smith is a coming of age story for a 10 year old Indian boy, whose family has moved from India to middle America. His parent's dream is for them to retain their Indian values while living the American dream, hoping to make enough money to return to India as kings. The kids just want to be normal (to their surroundings) kids. The movie opens with Smith, the 10 year old boy, being shown a picture of his future bride in India for when he's 22. Smith, meanwhile, is pining for the girl next door. The two families try and act neighbourly, with some lighthearted culture clashes happening along the way. However, Smith and Amy (the neighbor) do become close and that leads to a fatherly relationship with Butch, Amy's father. Smith, thus grows up with different life lessons coming from both of his father figures, his father and Butch, which does result in conflict with his more traditional Indian father. There may be parts of these lessons which some may see as racist, or as the white father figure showing the proper way over the Indian father. To me, though, they seemed more the way life was in the 70s. Kids would dress up in Native American costumes for Halloween. Parents from a foreign country would, and still go, get upset for leaning too heavily towards Western culture. The film is lighthearted, fun to watch, and while not brimming with laugh out loud moments funny in its own way. The last 10 minutes of the movie are melancholy compared to the first 90, but they do seem real to the story, and anything else would likely be a betrayal to the characters.

prince oberoiMay 23, 2023

Set in 1979, this film centers on 10-year-old Smith who has emigrated to America with his parents and sister from India. He is trying to adjust to the American way of life amidst some bullying, racism, and an old school father who doesn't want Smith to stray from the Hindu culture and religion. Smith also befriends and has a huge crush on Amy, the girl next door, despite the fact that his father has prearranged a marriage for him when he reaches the age of 22. I might note that Jason Lee is excellent here as Butch, who is Amy's father and tries to help Smith in various ways. I thought some parts of this movie were cute and humorous, while other parts proved awkward and just didn't work well, so a mixed bag here. However, it ends in a most heartfelt and uplifting way, which greatly enhanced the film. There's also a wonderful musical soundtrack to enjoy consisting mainly of oldies. I might note there were no subtitles of my DVD copy, but I was able to obtain them by using the closed caption option on my remote. All in all, this movie, directed by Frank Lotito, doesn't always work but with some solid performances, an enjoyable soundtrack, and a strong ending it won me over.

ALIMay 23, 2023

Despite some incredible films made last year, Growing Up Smith remains one of the most fun films I saw a screening of. It's lighthearted, family-friendly, and just a great ride that puts a smile on your face throughout. It's smart and doesn't pander to its audience. It's been a long time since I've seen a coming of age comedy that hits all the right notes so fluently, it's heartfelt and intelligent. The music cuts fit the film really well, and the pop culture awareness for its period is spot on without feeling contrived. The child actors are particularly good, complimenting Jason Lee and Anjul Nigam well. A must see when it releases in theaters next month.

shiva ravanMay 23, 2023

Just saw this film and had to say something! THESE are the kinds of films we've been missing all these years. Growing up Smith is the perfect combination of a family-kid friendly film with some teeth to it. Lighthearted with a message, funny, exuberant and most timely in today's America. This film won't preach to you and I can't put my finger on just one thing in particular, but it left me feeling euphoric walking out. Nostalgia, memories and emotions flowed through me. It hearkens back to a time where we were all innocent. As kids emulating our parents and yearning to break out. The performances are just as impressive. Jason Lee appears in a role I've never seen him play, and plays it to perfection: The beer drinking role model... Hilarie Burton and Poorna Jagannathan play characters who couldn't be more opposite, yet are equally as endearing. Anjul Nigam was terrific and relentless. At times I felt as though he was the film's hero and others it's villain. Lastly, the kids stole the show. Brighton Sharbino and Roni Akurati were delightful. They had tremendous rapport with one another and delivered as authentic performances as I have seen kids deliver in a film! If you want to have fun, if you want to laugh, if you want tears in your eyes and if you want to remember the good old days, THIS is the film to see! Very impressed, Bravo!