Excellent, a Must See

Boring, long, and too preachy.

Better Late Then Never

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

to be honest, i started watching this movie by chance. i found it very boring, dowdy, and fittingly dull. i didn't realize the men were lovers at first. That's not really the point, but i was intrigued by the their situation, and taboos. the Spanish girl daniel day lewis lover, wrote about the ethnic chip on omar's shoulder. i found her review interesting. it does sum up issues omar is dealing with. such as acculturation. though i do find his inability to adapt to either culture (according to her review) a personal problem, and decision. do you have to choose? is there an imposed division? yes. self imposed. she mentions looking down on poor whites, as his family of criminal immigrants have their own form of snobbery (her words) and apparently this "ethnic" issue colors his life. considering that he is sleeping with one of those poor whites. in addition to considering arranged marriage. above all the characters were not valuable. no matter how much $$$ omar & family have, he will never be white, or heterosexual. boo hoo. that should be okay. personal issues. with the themes of racism homosexuality and ethnicity, this movie should have been better. the only appeal here is the beauty of the 2 lead actors, and the ending, not their performance. i would pass on this one, but YOU wouldn't know that unless you see for yourself. i wouldn't recommend it, so i don't.

The film has undoubtedly the look and feel from the eighties but its central topic, the integration of immigrants into a new society, is very up-to-date, today maybe even more than in the days when the film was produced. The film covers many aspects in this field without really taking a stand, a fact that makes it especially valuable. Stephen Frears does a good job in showing that good integration is not an easy achievement. The movie shows us that it would be much more so if many immigrants were not so stupidly attached to their own traditions, if underprivileged locals did not feel so threatened by the business success of some immigrants and if locals and immigrants showed a greater respect for groups other than their own one. The Pakistani immigrant family in the center of the movie may look integrated but it is only the money from its successful business ventures that is doing the trick. Culturally they are living in a different world, especially the elder women. Probably the witty and intelligent daughter suffers most from this tense atmosphere. Grown up in a free and liberal Society she is expected to stick to the ancient traditions with little respect for female self-determination. Then there is the nephew and main protagonist who is given the chance by his uncle to run a bedraggled laundrette. This chance does not do his character any good. He becomes greedy and arrogant and has his English unemployed and homeless boyfriend work for him and makes him feel who is the one with the money. The uncle's English girlfriend is another interesting character. At first sight, she seems to be very opportunistic in simply looking for the man with the money. During the movie however, we get to know that she likes the man because he is the only one who ever cared for her. In the end after violent acts from the side of the Paki family, we can see her as a lady who hasn't thrown off all her feelings and is still vulnerable in her pride. Homosexuality and its acceptance by society is the second underlying topic of the movie. It can be seen that in those days gay love still had to be practiced in the dark but already was a strong force for the people in concern that no longer would be ignored. The film is also a historic document in the sense that it is showing the effects of Thatcherism on the lower social class. Social welfare was cut down in those days and the movie shows us a considerable amount of young working class people being homeless and overall on the losing end of society. Apart from all that content it is also a very young Daniel Day Lewis who is adding quality to the movie. His unique and fascinating way of gazing at people does not allow for any shallow feelings. In total, a work of substance. No wonder that this movie is one of the most renowned examples for the 80's label 'New British Cinema'.

An ambitious Asian Briton and his white lover strive for success and hope, when they open up a glamorous laundromat."My Beautiful Laundrette" was Stephen Frears' third feature film for the cinema. Originally shot for television, it was first released in cinemas and eventually became his first international success. Today, of course, he is one of the most successful directors in the world. And the story is an excellent snapshot of race, sexual orientation, class and politics in 1980s England.Most interesting, perhaps, is that this film and "Room With a View" apparently came out on the same day and therefore launched Daniel Day-Lewis to the world stage. He could have been stuck being an obscure actor, but by this impeccable timing, he was immediately recognized as the great that he was / is.

"My Beautiful Laundrette" is most commonly advertised as a drama and comedy, though the richly symbolic romantic aspect between the main two boys is what quietly takes the show. I have never seen a relationship in film that comes close to the classic, inspiring, well-known pair of Johnny and Omar.Johnny, who seemingly takes the lead in their sexual and romantic relationship, is a white, rough-and-tumble street punk caught up in a small gang and going nowhere. Omar is a bright-eyed, handsome Pakistani boy who takes care of his father, and when a taste of work comes his way, wants nothing more than "big money" and to prove the country he lives in will not beat him. Johnny's lust and love for Omar is apparent from the start, and in a handsomely unique and unpredictable fashion, their business relationship is reversed on terms of who leads who, providing an interesting dynamic between them.Omar's warm, eager demeanor and Johnny's quiet, sideways glances tell the audience about the previous foundation of their past relationship within the first twenty seconds of their meeting. I couldn't imagine that sort of raw, unspoken integrity ever being so successfully accomplished without these two actors and the fantastic chemistry between their characters.Johnny's absolute loyalty to Omar is heartwarming, promising, and honest. He wants nothing more than to prove his love and partnership with everything he has, and he offers it all - his work, his love, and sex. Omar reciprocates his love with forgiveness and, despite being the boss in their business relationship, his consistent admiration toward Johnny is apparent, deep and romantic. He changes into a more confident and proud man with Johnny by his side.Daniel Day-Lewis(Johnny) and Gordon Warnecke(Omar)'s performances were, I will say once more, just spectacular. I have never seen any bit of film quite as passionate, honest nor as erotic as the scene where Johnny and Omar make love. I've been inspired by seeing the tenderness and moving passion of both their love and general partnership - their compatibility is demonstrated by their determination to stay together, despite what happens in the midst of the insanity the film provides.I will say that it is also very real, however, and therefore it does have its rough moments and ups and downs like any relationship between two people should. I won't say too much aside from that I thought the ending was sweet and it took me by surprise, not bothering with a few loose ties if only to inspire lovely ambiguity.There is much more to "My Beautiful Laundrette" than Johnny and Omar's romantic relationship, but the symbolism it serves - as representing the hopeful future, their business, how the world sees them - relates to all aspects of the film. Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke's performances alone are enough of a reason to give it a watch.If you'd like to see a smart, witty, beautiful love story rich in symbolism and more substance than a single review could do justice for, I'd recommend you do yourself a favor by watching "My Beautiful Laundrette."