Product Details

• Actors: Ayesha Dharker, Josh Hamilton, Larry Pine, Asif Basra, Matt Smith
• Directors: John Jeffcoat
• Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English, Hindi
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Ocean Park Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 2, 2008
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00198TUO4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,700 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Outsourced" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The low-key, charming Outsourced is a thoughtful satire about the human side of contemporary frustrations associated with the global economy. Josh Hamilton (The House of Yes) stars as Todd Anderson, vice president of customer relations for a Seattle company that sells phone-order, patriotic kitsch. Part of Todd's job is keeping his operators' order-taking time down to a few minutes. He's good at what he does, but that doesn't stop the company from outsourcing Todd's entire department to somewhere in India, where local workers can field customer calls more cheaply. A reluctant Todd is sent to the subcontinent to train his own replacement and get the new operators up to speed. Neither task goes well, but adding to Todd's frustration is culture shock over everything from Indian table manners to public transportation to minimal bathroom fixtures. There’s something familiar about this particular fish-out-of-water tale (television’s Northern Exposure, as well as such features as Local Hero and Doc Hollywood). The gentle but illuminating Outsourced proves the story, as long as it's told well, never gets old. Todd eventually realizes the best way to escape India and get back to Seattle, ironically, is to let go of his resistance to India's culture and people. Transformation precedes liberation, but the lovely question in Outsourced is this: once Todd is transformed, what does he need to be liberated from? The film's deliberate, carefully paced narrative can't obscure the feeling of epiphany that permeates Outsourced. Nor can some of its other delights: assured location shooting and a fine supporting cast, including a wry Ayesha Dharker as Todd's romantic interest, and a brief appearance by Larry Pine as a kind of older, more serene version of the disoriented central character. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton-Kicking and Screaming, The Bourne Identity) gets the bad news from his boss: his job has been outsourced. Adding insult to injury, Todd must travel to India to train his own replacement. Through a series of hilarious misadventures, this charming, critically acclaimed romantic comedy reminds us that sometimes getting lost is the best way to find yourself.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice primer for an American traveling to India September 3, 2008

By Jason

Format:DVD

This is an entertaining, light-hearted, and honest look at India from an American perspective.

I visited India (New Delhi) three times this summer (and counting..) for business projects, and I was able to watch this movie twice during the course of my flights. With each viewing I smiled and laughed at the way the American characters adapted after their first few "transition" days in India, and how the Indian characters earnestly tried to make them feel welcome.

As a previous reviewer mentioned, the movie doesn't mention the grittier side of India, such as the huge slum bordering the Mumbai (Bombay) airport, or the muddy, pot-holed, trash-filled streets and sidewalks of every town. However, it does shows the predominantly sweet nature of the Indian people which IMO is one of an India traveler's best rewards.

Aside, if you are planning to travel to India for the first time, take anti-malaria pills with you, a couple rolls of your favorite toilet paper, a phone that works in the 091 country code, and an openness of different cultures. Also, sit in the back seat of your hired car, because the view out the front will be like a widescreen viewing of the craziest "close-but-no-contact demolition derby" you've ever seen. Most, but not all, of these points are implied in the movie.

I recommend watching this movie after your trip, you will probably appreciate the movie more than if you watch it before. If you watch it before your trip, make sure you watch it again when you get back!

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Good Movie June 3, 2008

By Truth Speaker

Format:DVD

This film is not your typical Bollywood although it is set in India. A sweet and insightful film, it looks at the impact of outsourcing, not just on Americans but others also as we continue our "race to the bottom" economically speaking. In addition the ethnic differences are dealt with humorously but make a point about how much we in the U.S. don't understand other cultures and how enriching it can be to open ourselves up. Throw in a love story (not a chick flick, though), a "hero" that is just an ordinary guy, along with the great location - both beautiful and painful to see at times (the conditions of the "lower" castes)- and the movie is very compelling. I just loved it. Not a "great" as in a "big" movie, but great in the way that a small, quiet yet powerful film is.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, what an unexpected find! October 26, 2008

By Helen S. Lam VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

What a great find! This is a charming comedy that mixes cross-cultural faux pas with romance. India offers a rich canvas for this original plot. Some scenes were so funny and memorable that we replayed them after watching the film. They were still funny the second time around. I highly recommend this film that will please both men and women.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Get REALLY immersed in the culture of a foreign land. December 21, 2010

By Ronald L. Russell

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This movie was the inspiration for the 2010 sitcom on NBC. If you watched the series, you will realize that many episodes are expanded versions of incidents in this movie. None of the actors in this film were used in the series, but that is not to imply they are better or worse than those chosen by the network. The story is simple: Todd, an American head of a call center is sent to India to train his replacement. While there, he experiences significant culture shock, but instead of turning into the "Ugly American", he come to appreciate many of the finer points of Indian culture. There is also a romantic interest between Todd and Asha, one of his workers. She is smart, attractive, and there is clearly a degree of mutual interest, however she is already engaged to another through an arrangement between her parents and her fiance's parents. The viewer is left wondering how this will be resolved until literally the very last scene, and still it's subject to interpretation.

I felt that that Indian culture was treated in a sensitive manner, although Todd's reaction was sometimes one of confusion. As he gradually loosens up and becomes more comfortable, he begins to fit in better and things go more smoothly. The humor is a little subtle at times. I enjoyed the movie very much, and recommend it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars when worlds collide May 19, 2008

By tincture

Format:DVD

awesome movie. funny, cleaver,romantic, endearing, wonderful experience. Could watch it 10 more times. It is wonderful to see how the two worlds of America and Inda colllide and to watch the wonders of India's influence
bring forth all the love that their culture has to offer the American mindset. We can learn alot from them.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Predictable story but India with all its color and idiosyncratic ways just came alive! February 13, 2011

By Linda Linguvic HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

This 2006 lightweight romantic comedy is about a Seattle-based novelty company being outsourced to India and the manager, played by Josh Hamilton, who is charged with the job of training the Indian crew in American ways and in bringing the time of each call down from 12 minutes to 6 minutes. Along the way, he falls in love with the lovely Asif Basra, one of the call center employees. Everything about this film is predictable but I did laugh out loud at one of the training sessions for the employees when the manager was trying to teach the Indian employees how to sound more American.

I'm not really into romantic comedies. The plotline is always predictable. But sometimes I just don't want to think too much, just relax and let a humorous little story unfold in front of me. The acting was good in this film but the story just a bit too lightweight for me. However, I must say that I really loved the setting. Filmed in India, all its color and idiosyncratic ways just came alive. It put me right there in the middle of the culture in ways that no book I have ever read put me there. For that I am grateful because I'm an armchair traveler at heart.