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Heavy moments hinder comic 'East is East'
(CNN) -- On the basis of its wrong-headed marketing campaign, you might surmise that Damien O'Donnell's "East is East" is more like "Animal House" (1978) than the hard-hitting family drama it turns out to be. Its schizophrenic storyline charts the trials and tribulations of George Khan (Om Puri), a Pakistani chip shop proprietor who wants his children to abide by the astringent customs of his native country, even though the entire brood was born and raised in London. The story -- set, for no apparent reason, in 1971 -- has moments of true power, and more than a few laughs. But the main draw is another fine performance by Puri. George's insistence on adhering to the old ways is reminiscent of Puri's character's struggles in 1998's "My Son the Fanatic," except that the old-fashioned one in that movie is his religious-zealot son. It's almost a drawback that Puri is enormously adept at conveying rage. George's predicament moves so suddenly from comedy to outright fury that you're taken aback by the transition. His anger is an affront to the witty movie that you've been enjoying. A family culture clashIn the early going, rollicking good humor establishes a welcome tone -- one that, given the working-class setting, could have been maintained while still dealing with the central character's struggle against what he considers to be an unfair world. This is something that British directors manage quite often, though that doesn't necessarily mean that O'Donnell could. His thudding sense of transition makes you feel as if the projectionist has suddenly inserted a reel from a different movie. George's Lancashire-born-and-bred wife, Ella (Linda Bassett) has to put up with a lot around the house. Their seven children, Nazir (Ian Aspinall), Abdul (Raji James), Tariq (Jimi Mistry), Saleem (Chris Bisson), Meenah (Archie Panjabi), Maneer (Emil Marwa) and Sajid (Jordan Routledge), openly squirm under their father's unyielding rule. They're full-blown Londoners, with white girlfriends and no taste for what they consider George's useless, outdated customs. There's an opening salvo of fireworks when Nazir humiliates George by suddenly refusing, in the middle of a traditional ceremony, to accept his prearranged marriage to a Pakistani woman. George immediately disowns Nazir and removes his picture from the living-room wall. When anyone inquires about Nazir, George now says he's dead. Comedy, then confrontation
A lot of the second act is composed of relatively minor struggles between George and his kids, and it's the most enjoyable portion of the film. There's an amusing scene where the boys pretend to be studying religion when George is spotted angrily approaching the homestead. Similarly, Tariq's arguments with his girlfriend's whiny, unappealing best friend (Ruth Jones) are truly comic. The real scene stealer, though, is Routledge, as Sajid, the youngest child. There's a hilarious shot taken from Sajid's point-of-view, in which George reaches under a bed to extract the cowering child. And Sajid's willingness to mouth off to people, regardless of their age, is good for some genuine laughs. Eventually, though, things get ugly. Two more of George's sons have to contend with his unacceptable ideas about marriage, and their confrontations come close to ripping the family apart.
At this point, the show belongs solely to Puri, and he's tremendous. But it's disappointing that such a light confection of a movie ultimately leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Had O'Donnell included a third act -- the story stops dead in its tracks after the second, leaving several important issues unresolved -- maybe this could have been corrected. As it stands, "East is East" is an enjoyable little film that suddenly clubs you over the head when you've been lulled into complacency. And the attack isn't necessary. There's bad language and tons of anger in "East is East." There's also an odd obsession with urination and a brief episode that involves Sajid being circumcised. Rated R. 96 minutes. RELATED STORIES: 'Boys Don't Cry' tops 10 best films of '99 RELATED SITE: Official 'East Is East' site |
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