A sensorial, kaleidoscopic myriad of a melodrama, Monsoon Wedding is more than just Indian filmmaker Mira Nair's finest film, it's a pulsating frenzy, the Mardi Gras of modern romantic comedies. What sets it apart from both your typical romantic art-house fare and mainstream "chick flicks" is that it is exciting where most other romances are expositional, and erotic instead of traditional. It not without its flaws, but almost defiant in its uniqueness.

It's the last few days before a big Indian family wedding, and we're introduced to all different kinds of characters. I applaud Nair most for her ability to create a mosaic of multiple personalities all intermingling, and to attempt both the grandiose and the intimate. We understand the whole through the individual, and Nair balances the fine performances, the pathos, and the comedy with a most delicate but still fanciful touch.

I had some issues with Nair's previous explorations of love and lust - Kama Sutra and Mississippi Masala - because they lacked verve, but not here: Monsoon Wedding has bravado in spades. Admittedly, its predictability keeps it from being a truly great film - the visual flourishes ultimately can't distract enough from the fact that we pretty much know exactly where it's going to go at every turn - but it revels in its inspired individuality even while caring little about being "original." It just wants to entertain, and that it does. It's a fascinating, jovial film, as bright and colorful as it is subtle and surprisingly multifaceted.