5 Comments Add your own

• 1. Erika Bylund  |  February 3rd, 2010 at 1:48 pm

  I watched this movie several months ago on Netflix. I liked the film, and I recommend it for a “popcorn & a movie” Saturday evening. One of the more memorable scenes features the call center’s floor flooded out. To keep the call center functioning, all the employees moved their computer and office equipment up onto the roof, wiring and all. As I was watching it, I thought, “Unbelievable! That would never happen in the States! OSHA would shut the place down if management didn’t.” I was just shocked at the resourcefulness and the “any lengths” measures that the employees took to keep things going- no excuses! In many ways, this seems to be an Indian characteristic and underscores other stories that I’ve read about. (For example, suppliers carting their goods by bicycle, on foot, or via animal-drawn vehicles to get their products to market despite impassible roads and dilapidated transportation infrastructure.)

  As an American viewer, I really identified with Todd’s awkwardness and culture shock upon arriving in a totally different country (his reaction to the call center, the bathroom scene, etc.) I have no doubt I will be in a similar position when I go to visit India.

  The movie also makes a point to contrast the corporate culture of the parent company in Seattle and that of its call center in India. Todd’s boss and the company are portrayed as stiff, colorless, sterile, bottom line focused, and lacking a human quality. Upon arriving in India, Todd is confronted with a totally different business culture at the call center. When he allows the Bombay employees to “personalize” their cubicles, he is overwhelmed by the colorful, dynamic, unique, and cluttered characteristic that each cubicle takes on. Ultimately, Todd embraces this more relaxed attitude, and he appears happier because of it.

  When the call center is eventually shut down due to down-sizing, the younger employees take the hit in stride, going to a bar to drink, dance, and celebrate. Confused by this reaction, Todd is told that these young professionals, despite the layoff, will have endless opportunities in India with the training they’ve received. This scene epitomizes the resilient characteristic of India as a whole, and characterizes the current climate of the country for young aspiring professionals- ubiquitous and diverse opportunity available to whoever wants to pursue it.

• 2. Tim Lynds  |  February 17th, 2010 at 9:11 pm

  Like Erika, I watched this movie on Netflix a while back. This was one of the better downloadable movies on there. It is a good link between the attitude of the typical American worker who is negatively affected by outsourcing and the actual global effect of outsourcing. It was an entertaining movie that is worth watching once.

  The more I learn about the Indian people, the more I want to learn. I know this was a fictional movie, but no matter the source, it seems like Indian people are always portrayed as very positive, upbeat, and friendly people. The Indians in this movie were the type of people you want to be around. If this personality type and outlook on life is common in India, then we are going to make quite a few friends this summer.

• 3. John Barry  |  February 27th, 2010 at 8:57 pm

  I typically enjoy movies that depict another culture simply for the fact that if nothing else, I come out of these movies with more knowledge than I came in with. I found “Outsourced” particularly good among this genre, if you can call it that. On top of being entertaining, and even somewhat educational in business, I found that the story of the culture-clashing American rang true in many respects, and was also “cute” for lack of a better word. I came away from the movie with a new found respect for the concept of stepping out of one’s comfort zone and putting oneself in situations you might not normally put yourself in because you always come away a bigger, better, and wiser person in the end. The one thing this movie doesn’t do for me, is make me any more comfortable with Indian food.

• 4. Frederick Peemoeller  |  March 12th, 2010 at 3:32 pm

  The movie was supposed to be a comedy, and it was fairly funny in some aspects. In actuality, it had some educational value as well by depicting workplaces and the culture of Indians. I honestly didn’t know that toilet paper is not used in India and you only eat with your right hand. Of course, they make a joke about the situation, but it was still educational. All in all, the movie failed as a comedy, but I will give it a B for fitting in some educational value of India.

• 5. Leslie Mann  |  March 19th, 2010 at 11:43 am

  Call centers are topic of much debate and having worked in one for many years, I can attest to the frustrations on both ends of the phone call. I have never seen this movie, but will now be adding it to my must-see-movie-list before I leave for India. I do think the thought of an American working in an Indian call center to train his replacement would be entertaining; and yes, culture shock indeed! This is one of the experiences I am most excited yet at the same time apprehensive of. Experiencing a completely different culture, other than what I have ever known, will be a bit fearful and unnerving at times, but it is one experience that every person should hope to encounter at least once in their lives.

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