Someone once said that “big movies will always find their way to the wider audience, while it’s the small one that needs an extra push up from an external force.” For that kind of force there is no need to travel to another galaxy but is enough to have a compelling story, good actors and a director who can translate it into big cinema. When I heard about “Sundowners” I somehow felt this might be one of those films that must and deserve every attention it can possibly get. But as soon as I watched it, I realized, sometimes it’s better when movies like this finds smaller home rather than big ones to find itself alone and empty in entire world…

Just think about the concept or the potential Pavan Moondi’s movie had. It follows a photographer with common name, Alex Hooper. He films weddings. He watches how happy groom and bride dance together towards the endless joys that await them for the rest of their lives. Seems it’s an excellent opportunity to witness something amazing, however, the man never smiles and is in rush to leave the wedding to escape from fire. Things change drastically when an opportunity comes to travel to Mexico to take a picture and film another wedding. But as soon as Alex lands in Mexico, he soon will find himself as an excellent object to be filmed about… The sad part is, there is no cameraman running around to capture his reckless business trip….

Meant to be a comedy, “Sundowners” fails to deliver even a subtle humor which stunningly was way too serious. But that seriousness in case of Moondi’s film was a good sign. But let’s get back to Alex and the job he does not seem to be fond of. When he comes to his boss Tom who wants to look like a big shot gives him another assignment as a token of appreciation, while the same appreciation could have been a paycheck he owes to Alex. But the chance to go to Mexico with any photographer Alex picks, the man agrees to embark himself on a journey where one silly thing after another occurs.

After getting to a wrong resort, Alex’s friend as a photographer at the same time arrives at their destination (but shot in Colombia) where groom Mike and bride Jenny greets them. Hoping that at least newly appeared character will change the atmosphere of the movie, that expectation slowly disappears as soon as Mike started complaining about his financial situation or being bankrupt and how he knows no other way to confess to his soon-to-be wife. But even that little drama leaves no interest at all in order to care about Mike, Jenny, Alex or Justin.

It’s very important to have one thing in mind before judging Moondi’s “Sundowners”, and that was not the actors who had no connection with the characters they portrayed. Indeed, they were uninspiring, but they were because of wrong direction or lack of guidance to deliver a bit more than they did. But believe me, they could, if they knew the source of that lack. But overall, “Sundowners” manages to deliver a few things that were again, not new at all. But the concept of enjoying life and live with one day only is the right thing to do, I guess. It’s just that Alex and Justin were at the wrong place, location even a movie to express themselves more sharply than they did.