For the most part, Gummaalam reminds us of other recent movies featuring students and their activities. It features four such students and has them fighting over one woman. But the movie ventures into serious territory by giving the woman a sad, serious past. Not only do the two portions of the movie not gel, but the serious portion is too haphazard to make up for the distasteful and vulgar portions involving the four students

Dinesh(Mithun), Aiyappa(Zakir), Sekhar and 'Uncle'(Aditya) have just finished their XII standard exams and while away their time smoking, drinking, singing and dancing. Anu(Rathi) shows up in their area and soon becomes a close friend. But the revelation that she loves one of them leads to illwill and competition among the four friends. On the other hand, Anu herself has quite a sad past.

While the four friends here are just out of school and not in a college yet, their activities are no different from the activities of the guys in recent movies like Jjunction. The foursome here have scant respect for their parents, never seem to worry about their results or joining a college and spend their time teasing girls from the roadside. The way the director showcases some of their acts, like hiding an erotic book inside a textbook or spying on a couple in a neighboring house, is extremely vulgar and crude.

The fact that Rathi loves one of them without revealing who it is finally gives us something to look forward to. But the proceedings soon snuff out our hopes. The means the friends adopt to one-up each other are amateurish and soon become repetitive. Their frequent change of moods and attitudes towards one other is unbelievable and simply strengthen the notion that the director has no clue about how friends behave in the real world. Rathi's character too is poorly developed. She frequently asks them about what is wrong with them but apart from an occasional chiding, does nothing to correct them. Infact, it is highly questionable if any girl would remain friends with four guys who fight in such a cheap manner in front of her for the chance to give her a lift.

The shift in tone in Rathi's flashback is so abrupt that it is actually jarring. It involves an issue that was handled in a much better manner in two recent, high-profile movies. But the differences in accent and dresses between Rathi's past and present are unexplainable. The open-ended finish is handled well though it is unconvincing seeing the four friends, who were silly and immature until then, spout philosophical dialogs. But there are too many questions raised about Rathi's past and in a way, the finish seems too open-ended.

None of the four leads manage to impress, either in looks or performances. Rathi, in a role completely different from her rustic character in Solla Marandha Kadhai, emotes with ease and shows promise. Ponnambalam, as the karate instructor and father of one of the four friends, raises a few laughs initially with his tirades against his son. There are too many songs, among which Thittraanga... is quite catchy because of its lyrics. But the melodious songs are pleasing to hear.