Rating: * * 1/2

Karan Johar's We Are Family is a family drama. The film is a remake of the 1998 Julia Roberts-Susan Sarandon starrer Stepmom. And even though Johar has gone hammer and tong on how his film is not melodramatic, that statement for most part of the film holds untrue.

Now one had expected that the film would constantly remind us of Stepmom and be a scene by scene rip off. However, that doesn’t really happen. Could be because Stepmom isn't exactly fresh in our memory unless we saw it recently or because there is a very typical Indian flavour to it, whichever way, the one thing we in every probability won’t complain about in this film is that it seems like an absolute cut to cut replica of its original.

Plot: Maya (Kajol) and Aman (Arjun Rampal) are divorced. Their three children live with their mother. While Aman is seeing Shreya (Kareena Kapoor), he tries to balance his life with his kids with great efficiency. The moment he introduces Shreya to his family, all hell breaks loose. Shreya becomes the witch and all her efforts to appease Aman's kids go in vain. It is when Maya is detected with cervical cancer and is told that she only has a few days to live, that the life of all the people in this family including Shreya changes forever.

Positives: If the intent of the movie was to churn our emotions and bring us closer to our loved ones, it certainly succeeds. The film sustains its heavily emotional rythm all throughout. Kajol looks a million dollars in the film. Only Kajol could have without any insecurity accepted a role opposite Kareena and played it with such elan. She is in great shape in the film and doles out a fabulous performance. Kareena Kapoor too maintains the maturity she has reached with every film and plays her character of D to the T. And now the most praiseworthy part of this film, the chemistry between Kajol and Kareena. Here I would have to say that the two are able to display better connection and chemistry with each other than Sarandon and Roberts did in Stepmom.

Negatives: We go to watch a film for its ability to entertain us and not to make us cry. Johar somewhere holds us to a certain kind of emotional blackmail in the film that induces more fear than sympathy. Besides, we have seen a gorgeous film like Anand on cancer and even though the plots may vary considerably, the fact that films based on illnesses can be treated well and can leave an indelible mark on their viewers cannot be denied. Either Johar really multiplies the lachrymose or he presents it in a way that makes us a little sick.

Music: Barring the song, Aankhon Mein Neende the music of the film isn't great.

Performances: All actors from Kajol to Kareena to Arjun Rampal to the four kids are able to play their parts effectively.