East Is East Review
by "Steve Rhodes" (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)April 22nd, 2000
EAST IS EAST
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
When the father of two would-be brides compliments George Khan (Om Puri from MY SON THE FANATIC) on his having six beautiful sons, George immediately sets the record straight. He has only five sons, now since one is dead. Actually, the supposedly dead son is very much alive; it is just that his father has written him off and removed all traces of him from their home after the boy walked out during his arranged wedding. The young man was offered a beautiful bride but one that he neither loved nor knew before the wedding day.
In a comedic drama of clashing cultures, EAST IS EAST tells the story of a Pakistani man, his English wife and their 7 kids, who live in a working-class neighborhood in England. The family owns a small fish-and-chips shop called George's English Chippy, in which everyone in the family pitches in to keep it going.
Trying to run his family with Muslim strictness, George is a good-natured blowhard. His wife, Ella (Linda Bassett), whom he loves dearly, generally ignores his attempts to rule their family with an iron glove. Only when it comes to his marrying off their sons does she reluctantly yield. Their marriage is basically a good one, full of playfulness and love. But, when pressed, he reverts to his own upbringing and lays down the law in his household, in which he thinks that the father should be lord and master.
Most of the movie is a sugary confection of little episodes typified by the one about the circumcision of the youngest son, Meenah (Jordan Routledge), a boy about 12 years old. In a completely unbelievable incident, the mother realizes that Meenah, whom she had undoubtedly diapered a thousand times, was never circumcised as she had assumed. Meenah is seen urinating -- an activity that occurs with bizarre frequency in the film -- by a Muslim cleric, and the cleric is shocked that the boy is not circumcised. The father quickly arranges for an operation ("It's only a little operation. It won't hurt."), which puts an understandable amount of fear in the lad. His older sister torments him after the operation by drawing a picture of a penis, which she tears in two, taunting him by saying "Ouch!" This produces the show's only substantial laugh.
When the father tries to marry off two more of his sons, the would-be brides turn out to be some of the ugliest women around. This sets up the story's overly long and bittersweet concluding segment, in which the good-spirited picture turns mean and the father loses our respect but not his wife's.
Director Damien O'Donnell, working from a script by Ayub Khan-Din, continually pulls his punches, never quite making either a truly funny film or a biting social satire. The result is a movie that's kind of cute and kind of poignant, which all adds up to being only kind of nice.
EAST IS EAST runs 1:36. It is rated R for violence, sexuality and language and would be acceptable for most teenagers.
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