Outsourced

Running time: 98 mins

John Jeffcoat?s debut feature is a brilliant comedy that eschews stereotypes when a company man, who learns that his entire department is being outsourced, agrees to travel to India to train his replacement.

Todd heads up the sales department in a Seattle-based company that sells cheap novelty products. When he learns of his department outsourcing, his only option is to agree to the long journey. A fish out of water in a foreign land, he is met with a group of young workers mystified as to why anyone would want the useless products his company sells, much less how to sell them. Rescue comes in the form of the beautiful Asha, who quickly assumes the role of showing Todd that he must understand the people and their culture before he can inspire them. And no one said that there can?t be a little romance involved, as Todd and Asha quickly become attracted to each other?although both know such a relationship would be a rather complicated one indeed.

Outsourcing is a familiar phenomenon, and there are many ways that Jeffcoat and his team could have gotten the story wrong, but a well-crafted script, imaginative direction and an obvious love for the human spirit combine for a crowd-pleasing comedy that is as relevant as it is genuine.

Tamee Tanoor

MAVERICK COMPETITION