My Beautiful Laundrette
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Movie Reviews of My Beautiful Laundrette
Movie Review: My Beautiful Laundrette
Summary: 4 Stars
My Beautiful Laundrette is directed by Stephen Frears, the director behind one of my favorite films (Dangerous Liaisons) and several other good ones (High Fidelity, Mary Reilly, and The Queen to name a few). The film features an Oscar-nominated script by Hanif Kureishi and an early, stand-out performance by two-time Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor, My Left Foot & There Will Be Blood).
The setting is a racially-tense neighborhood in Thatcher-ear London. Omar (Gordon Warnecke) is a young Pakistani who starts working for his uncle washing cars. Omar is soon allowed to run his uncle's shabby, run-down laundrette. It's around this time that Omar encounters childhood friend Johnny (Day-Lewis), a hood who runs with a small group of fascists who enjoy provoking racial violence. Omar hires Johnny to help up him fix up the laundrette with drug money he has stolen from his uncle's associate Salim.
It is soon revealed that Omar and Johnny are gay...And Salim discovers where his drugs went and Omar opens more laundrettes. None of these things will surprise you. They weren't meant to admittedly, but what this entire film seems to be is a rather complicated story told as a standard in a 94-minute timeframe.
The film's script follows a very linear plot. This, juxtaposed with the unnecessary changes in tone, makes the screenplay the weakest element of the film. It's a film that wants to explore themes of social and ethnic classes, as well as sexuality, but it never really says much on the subject. As if Kureishi knew these were important issues but didn't know why. It doesn't work as an exploration of these subjects and it's a rather complex story that had been formatted into a much more simplistic one. It made me question what exactly the screenwriter's intention was.
Beyond that, it's not particularly well-made. It has very dated near-grainy cinematography and some synthesizer music used as the score, which seems inappropriate in some of the scenes. Many films directed by Frears seem very dated due largely in part to his use of cinematography. "Mary Reilly" looks and feels much older than 1996 (this has nothing to do with its timeframe) and "The Queen" looks to glossy and done-up (another Miramax film called "Casanova" suffered the same problem).
If anything, I can see My Beautiful Laundrette causing a stir in 1985 when it was released especially with its depiction of Omar and Johnny's homosexual relationship. This brings me to my next subject...
This is not a gay-themed movie such as Brokeback Mountain. While "Brokeback" has a central theme of homosexuality and its very plot relies on it, My Beautiful Laundrette does not. It is not about two homosexual men but rather, two men who happen to be homosexual. If all the scenes of Omar and Johnny being intimate were removed from the film, it would have little or no effect on the overall story.
The best, most consistent thing about the film is the subtle, moving performance of Daniel Day-Lewis. This is not Bill the Butcher or Daniel Plainview; this is Day-Lewis in neutral. It's a performance that shows off his range as an actor and his ability to completely immerse himself in a role, big or small. He's one of the few well-known actors who walk on-screen and allow you to instantly identify the character rather than the actor. I can imagine Day-Lewis viewing that as a compliment of the highest order.
My Beautiful Laundrette is not a powerful, profound, or particularly moving film. It is neither a failure nor any real kind of achievement. It does not require an audience nor is it undeserving of one. It's simply there. Neither good nor bad, neither entertaining nor boring, but available...Should you decide to watch it.
B-
Side-Note: Hanif Kureishi did write the screenplay for one of my favorite movies of the last few years, "Venus" with Peter O'Toole. This is a film that wanted to explore a particular subject (in this case, death, among other things) and succeeded.
Movie Review: Ramble about life
Summary: 4 Stars
I suppose people either love this film or hate it....
The basic plot was a guy trying to do something in his life in a somewhat confusing world, were everything was not to his advantage. Omar, a son of Pakistani immigrant, who up until the start of the movie, didn't have any direction in life. We don't know about his history, but it'll unfold later in the movie. We learned he is gay, and was a troublemaker when he was younger.
Anyways..., I suppose some people don't like how this movie rambles. I for one, hate it when I sense the author of a book (or in this case, filmmaker) can't seem to make up his/her mind. I don't think in this movie the direction is lost (it actually works for some odd reason). The movie is sort of a snapshot of life going through a phase. This is realism. I suppose it won't satisfy people who like a grand plot that's meticulously devised.
Also keep in mind the movie was from the 80's when most movies' plots were thin like paper. There are some dialogues that don't connect too well. In general though, it's pretty good if you put the era into perspective.
Memorable characters.... This is a very difficult thing to do in a movie or a book. I like how real the characters seem to be. Not fake, not exaggerated malevolent or divinely benign. They have their own self interests. There is few political agenda in characters' dialogue (e.g., let's beautify gay people, or let's do an anti-discrimination theme). No, they are just real people. They don't speak words directly to the audience and feed us ideas. They earn out affection by being themselves, not "I am gay and Pakistani, so you owe me something." If you want melodrama, look elsewhere. (And people say I am melodramatic... ;-))
I love the ending; very cute and affectionate. Leave an imprint on me without shock value or sensual eroticism. You'd think after Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis) got beaten up, you'd hear some grunt about life and injustice in general. No..., we are rewarded with a scene where Omar tried to clean Johnny's wound and they ended up not "I'm sorry, but let's have sex" but two guys, very innocently splash water at each other. That's VERY original (though I sensed Day-Lewis was about to take his pants off...). I challenge you to write a scene like that.
Life moves on, you know. I am happy the movie doesn't give a self-pity, wound-licking ending. (I apologize for being so unprofessional in this review. LOL!)
Movie Review: A Satiric Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I think ¡§My Beautiful Launderette¡¨ is a pretty satiric movie. Back in 1980s, Pakistan people were being discriminated by the British. However in the movie, Nasser, a Pakistan businessman, owned a launderette which earns money from the British instead of the other way round. Satirically, Nasser also has a mistress, named Rachel, who is a British instead of a Pakistan. Tanya, daughter of Nasser who later on found out Rachel , tell Rachel that she does not mind her father having a mistress and use her father¡¦s money. Omar, niece of Nasser, who worked in the launderette as a manager, met Johnny one night when he was being disturbed by a group of racist gang. Johnny is a British young man who actually belongs to the gang, he knew Omar because they were old school friends. Omar asked Johnny to help in the launderette. The most satiric part of the movie is that Omar and Johnny are homosexual lovers. Homosexuality was considered to be unacceptable in those days. Other than that Omar and Johnny are different in race.
The film shows the audiences two groups of people. First is the people who reject the British community, second is the people who accept the British community. The first group of people have traditional, conservative, and stubborn mind. Omar¡¦s father belongs to this group. He is a journalist and political activist. He thinks that he doesn¡¦t belong to Britain and he hated Britain. He lives in poverty and lie on the bed all day doing nothing.
Nasser and Omar belong to the second group. Nasser adapted himself into the British society and learned to live with it. He then became a successful businessman who owned a launderette and a car cleaning service company. Omar chose to follow Nasser to involve in the business field instead of being what his father wanted him to be, which was to get into college. He convinced Nasser to let him redecorate the launderette and he succeeded in attracting more customers.
Movie Review: A Satiric Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I think ¡§My Beautiful Launderette¡¨ is a pretty satiric movie. Back in 1980s, Pakistan people were being discriminated by the British. However in the movie, Nasser, a Pakistan businessman, owned a launderette which earns money from the British instead of the other way round. Satirically, Nasser also has a mistress, named Rachel, who is a British instead of a Pakistan. Tanya, daughter of Nasser who later on found out Rachel , tell Rachel that she does not mind her father having a mistress and use her father¡¦s money. Omar, niece of Nasser, who worked in the launderette as a manager, met Johnny one night when he was being disturbed by a group of racist gang. Johnny is a British young man who actually belongs to the gang, he knew Omar because they were old school friends. Omar asked Johnny to help in the launderette. The most satiric part of the movie is that Omar and Johnny are homosexual lovers. Homosexuality was considered to be unacceptable in those days. Other than that Omar and Johnny are different in race.
The film shows the audiences two groups of people. First is the people who reject the British community, second is the people who accept the British community. The first group of people have traditional, conservative, and stubborn mind. Omar¡¦s father belongs to this group. He is a journalist and political activist. He thinks that he doesn¡¦t belong to Britain and he hated Britain. He lives in poverty and lie on the bed all day doing nothing.
Nasser and Omar belong to the second group. Nasser adapted himself into the British society and learned to live with it. He then became a successful businessman who owned a launderette and a car cleaning service company. Omar chose to follow Nasser to involve in the business field instead of being what his father wanted him to be, which was to get into college. He convinced Nasser to let him redecorate the launderette and he succeeded in attracting more customers.
Movie Review: Its not just a gay movie...
Summary: 4 Stars
Reading the names of lists that "My Beautiful Laundrette" is listed on it struck me how everyone notices this movie because it has 2 gay characters... Most of the titles were something like "Must-own gay movies" "Good starts to your [gay] movie collection"....By making "MBL" into purely a "gay" movie, these people take all the complexities of the movie that goes beyond the sexualities of the characters. There are so many themes within "MBL": 1980's London, the social friction and racism, the failling economy, the corrupt business practices, the consequences of Pakistanis (or any immigrants I suppose) trying to either become British or keep their heritage.....
This movie isnt a chronicle of Johnny and Omar's relationship. Their relationship is merely one thread in the movie. The characters within this movie can't be labeled into general groups so the actual movie thatt contains them should be seen same way. Lay off the generalizations and just enjoy the show....