Tuesday 24 January 2017

Freeview film of the day : tuesday 24th of January

East Is East (1999 92mins.) [Film4 9.00pm &+1]

Pakistani chip shop owner George Khan tries to keep his seven unruly children under control in 1970s Salford. Revelling in the pleasures of adolescence, the flares-wearing youngsters seem determined to ignore his moral advice - but a shock is in store for two of his teenage sons in the shape of arranged marriages. Comedy drama, starring Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Jimi Mistry and Archie Panjabi.


There had been several attempts to make films that reflect the experiences of young Asians in 1980s and 90s Britain before but most of them were horribly worthy and dangerously close to patronising.

East Is East is refreshing because of the dry wit that runs through it and the laugh out loud humour of many scenes.

Set in the 1970s it plays with the well worn tropes and cliches of that decade as (the excellent) Jimi Mistry discovers the joys of being a male teenager first and a "British Asian" second; a stand that places him in direct conflict with his more traditional father (the sadly recently departed Om Puri).

The ensemble cast are all terrific (special mention for Archie Panjabi) and the film is warm, charming and witty as they interact, fall in and out of love and behave in a wholly believable way.

A little gem of a film.

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