Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Am I Missing Something?

Absolutely the worst movie.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

This is a beautiful and understated film. The plot is simple but the impact is huge. This has to be a woman's work, I thought, as I watched it and sure enough it was both written and directed by Ruba Nada. Patricia Clarkson is superb in her low key portrayal of Juliette Grant, a middle aged North American wife left alone in Cairo when her husband is delayed. The pace is languorously slow. The photography is rich and warm. It is a film of tiny and careful brush strokes rather than broad swipes and splashes. Ultimately the plot goes nowhere. But somehow that is the very real strength of this wonderful, artful film. I have been a frequent harsh critic here of Canadian movies. This is a refreshing exception.

"Cairo Time" is inept and inert, a criminal waste of talent and material. Alexander Siddig is handsome and charismatic as Tareq, an Egyptian café owner who shepherds a married American tourist, Juliette, (Patricia Clarkson) around Cairo. Patricia Clarkson is beautiful and wears her many dresses well. The film's publicity compares it to "Brief Encounter." Not a chance. There is no chemistry between Tareq and Juliette. This is the fault of Ruba Nadda's lifeless script and direction so inert you wonder if she has fallen asleep behind the camera and the actors are too polite to wake her. There are shots of the pyramids. There are scenes where characters stroll through an exotic bazaar, smoke hookahs, and dance at a wedding. There is a scene where men harass Juliette on the street. Juliette almost seems to like it; this takes on an ugly tone in the wake of the notorious Tahrir Square assault on Lara Logan. There is an entirely gratuitous scene that depicts Israelis in a negative way. Remarkable, because the film has no plot to speak of, but the director managed to work in her prejudices. These scenes ramble without reaching any point. There is zero dramatic tension. You don't wonder what's going to happen next – you pretty much know that *nothing* is going to happen next. "Cairo Time" is an extraordinary waste of talent and material. Alexander Siddig is a charismatic star. I wish he had been given something, anything, to do. There is so much potential in the material. Say something about a potential romance between a Muslim man and an American woman. Say something about the potential of extramarital love. Say something at all! The film never does.

Its a misnomer to say that this movie is about romance or a love affair. I'd presume 'affair' would need some physical contact to be thus termed. Here you have one brief 1/4 of a second meeting of lips that could even be construed as unintended. However, there is no argument about the elegant laid back script. Patricia is perfect - typical well bred western woman a bit out of place in a place thats a world away from hers. Quiet, never giving offense, soft spoken...and sexually aseptic. But thats why the movie is so captivating. The subtle development of a friendship between two temporarily lonely persons,the exotic environs - so common on vacations - leads...well nowhere really. Just as its getting up and going, hte hubby comes along and ends everything, including the movie. In ending, I'd say while this is not everyones cup of tea, its well worth a watch. You'd remember it for a surprisingly long time.

I really liked viewing the scenery around Cairo.But... the plot and execution of the story just make no sense. Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) goes to Cairo to meet up with her husband, but is left stranded in Cairo when her husband has pressing issues to deal with as the U.N. manager of a refugee camp in Gaza. Apparently her husband has been involved in such activities for a long time. One would think that Juliette, would have TALKED to her husband and would have SOME knowledge of the culture into which she is arriving. But NO! Not only that, she is supposedly an editor of a major magazine dealing with cultural issues, and one would THINK, that in that role she would know something about differences in culture. But NO! Juliette in Cairo and has not a clue as how to dress, where to go, what to do or NOT to do. And once she has encountered problems with the way she dresses, she continues to dress inappropriately and violate cultural norms. She even seems to have a new and inappropriate stylish outfit for each scene! How did such a stupid woman get to be an editor of a major magazine? The whole plot is incredulous! Nevertheless, I was actually happy to see the movie and the scenery just not the scenes.