'Disgraced' makes you laugh and think, to a point
8 / 10
By the end of Disgraced, Amir -- who seemed so richly human earlier, with his capacity for arrogance and shame and fear and pride and empathy -- has been reduced nearly to a victim, and his potentially intriguing journey to a sort of cautionary tale about ambition and bigotry. To Akhtar's credit, and that of director Kimberly Senior and her excellent cast, that tale is at least fun to watch. Hari Dhillon makes Amir...charming and frustrating, showing us both his cultivated slickness and his ongoing struggle to reconcile what he's experienced...with what he's become. Gretchen Mol movingly conveys Emily's own conflicts, and her fundamental decency.Josh Radnor and Karen Pittman provide witty, full-blooded performances as the Kapoors' guests, who seem to have their own issues...Their combined efforts make Disgraced consistently entertaining and thought-provoking -- just not as much as you wish it were.
