It can be hard to know what you want, or don’t wait, both in a relationship and in life, until you’ve seen everything that’s out there. People rely on societal and family expectations to dictate what they should accomplish by a certain age and who they should be with, but that isn’t usually very healthy. Same Same But Different uses the occasion of one woman’s green card wedding to examine how she and her two best friends are stuck somewhere between fulfilling their desires and settling for something they don’t want.
Rana (Medalion Rahimi) is working on Cape Cod and devastated when she finds out that her visa application has been denied, meaning that she may need to return home to Iran. But when Adam (Logan Miller), her son’s boss who she’s been sleeping with all summer, suggests they get married just so that she can stay, a new option presents itself. Setareh (Layla Mohammadi) and Nadia (Dalia Rooni) arrive with their respective boyfriends, Pat (Richie Moriarty) and Ryan (Michael Baszler), for the wedding, each bringing some unwanted baggage with them as they confront the new future Rana is facing.
This film marks the feature directorial debut for Lauren Noll, who also saves a fun role for herself as Adam’s sister, with a script from Rooni. It’s a film that speaks very much to Iranian-American culture but also to the universal experience of not quite knowing where to fit in when people aren’t sure what to make of you. A brief appearance by Moriarty’s Ghosts costar Danielle Pinnock best sums up this phenomenon, when she tells Nadia that she always thought she was white since she’s not Black, an observation that startles Nadia but says plenty about how immigrants of many kinds move through the world without ever being truly seen in the way they see themselves.
Though it does touch on life dreams and other important matters, this film is primarily a comedy, one that finds great humor in the dynamics of its three central relationships. Adam defers largely to Rana since he understands how smart she is, and he also knows that, even though his family has money and status, not to mention the ability to help her get a green card, he’ll still the one marrying up. Setareh is determined and bossy, while Pat is quite subservient, and he’s also obsessed with fitness guru Ryan before they meet, which creates a bit of awkwardness. Nadia’s unpredictable personality combined with Ryan’s even-keeled sensibilities also present the opportunity for friction.
This film approaches its subject matter from a light, comedy-laced angle, and it really is quite fun to spend a weekend with these three women and see how a longstanding friendship has transformed and evolved as they’ve spent time apart and built their own independent lives. It’s very sweet when they do find common ground again at various points throughout an eventful weekend, and there’s never a situation that feels too absurd or invented for comedic effect, with simple misunderstandings and miscommunications sufficient to cause a little bit of chaos.
Rahimi, Mohammadi, and Rooni are an exceptional trio who have great platonic chemistry on-screen, and it’s wonderful to see how they add layers to each of their characters, ensuring that none of them feels too perfect or flawed. The men opposite them are just as moderately charming, balancing out expectations and providing, at times, just what their partners need from them while showing a distinct lacking at others. This is an inviting, unassuming film that has a great deal to say about people, friendships, relationships, and culture, packaged as a warm comedy about running away from fate.
Movie Rating: 8/10
