An American POV: Very good movie, but longer than needs to be

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2012)

First off, take note of the length of the movie (IMDb here says 170 minutes). You got that right, just shy of 3 hours. But don't let that scare you from watching the movie - it is a really emotional movie which will grip you for the full 3 hours.
Second, it probably does not need to be 3 hours. I hear there is an American remake in the works. I am anxious to see how it will be done, and what will be cut because there is a lot of stuff in this movie which probably can get the boot. We Americans generally believe that all Indian movies have dance numbers, and this movie doesn't disappoint, with several useless numbers (useless in my opinion).
Third, the IMDb synopsis, while accurate, refers to like...one quarter of the actual movie. In other words, it is a lot like "Forest Gump" in that the "present" that is initially presented (which involves Forest finding Jenny and his son, and then moving to Alabama, etc. etc.) is setup through the telling of the whole back story, which takes up the majority. Same deal here with "3 Idiots". The IMDb synopsis covers the present, in that three guys are on a journey to find their lost friend, but the real meat of this movie is the whole back story which is not mentioned in the least. So just keep that in mind before starting the movie. I say that because when I read the synopsis I came in with this mentality that this was going to be an Indian version of "Road Trip" or something, just based on the title, the cover and the synopsis (it really isn't).
Fourth, this movie is nothing like your vulgar/sexual American comedies involving some good buddies and their adventures. There really are some useful messages in this movie, especially some that will really touch home with anyone who has gone through engineering studies (like myself).
With that aside, the movie was great. The emotions are really powerful, the acting is really good - a very touching story. The dean (Viru Sahastrabudhhe, played by Boman Irani) really touched home with me. I had a teacher exactly (Yes, EXACTLY!) like this guy in my engineering studies. Thankfully for me he was just a teacher of a couple classes and not the dean of the school (whew!).
The three hours really flies by because the advancements in the "present" story (the three guys on the journey to find their friend) are made after finding out the back story. For example, the movie starts out with a guy feigning a heart ailment to get a plane to turn home, rushing to a friend's house, waking him and rushing his good buddy out of his house (so fast that he forgets to put on his pants) all to arrive at this random location where they meet the third buddy. The third buddy tells them that they all made a promise to meet there 10 years prior. The next (very long) segment of the movie goes back to square zero to introduce everyone and educate (pun intended) as to the significance of the location. After that, the "present" advances to the next location. In my opinion, if the movie just focused on the "present" without giving any life to the characters, it would be very hollow. I mean just think if "Forest Gump" just started with him talking to that lady who tells him that Jenny's address is around the corner and he just runs off - you would never learn of Jenny's issues, Forest's history with Jenny, etc.
My only complaint is that the movie is just too damn long, and there are things that probably don't need to be elaborated multiple times. I get it, Rancho is different from everyone else, and will excel at everything. I don't need it to be reiterated 10 times. I also don't need the dance numbers, they provided nothing to the story. If you have seen the movie "Men of Honor" I think you can understand of what I speak (Cuba Gooding's character keeps pushing through the barriers to achieve his successes over and over to the point where the movie is longer than it needs to be. OK, he beat the racist general. OK he beat everyone else in their times underwater. OK he beat the racist who cut his tool bag. OK OK OK OK...heh).
All that aside, it has some really powerful messages that you can really take home as a future (or current) parent. I'd say that if you are current or prospective engineering student, this is a *MUST* watch. No joke. For graduates of engineering studies, I'd say you should definitely check this out to get a few chuckles, reminiscing about your days in engineering and to gather an idea of the Indian culture with engineering (if what they portray is true, I'd say it is eye-opening).
If it was more to the point, and not as dragged out, I'd give it a 9 or a 10.