Really Surprised!

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

I read the plot summary of this film before I watched it "An identity crisis comedy centred on Mahmud Nasir, successful business owner, and salt of the earth East End Muslim who discovers that he's adopted - and Jewish. " I liked the idea and thought it had a lot of potential for some laughs. That, together with the fact that I had enjoyed what I had seen of Omid Djalili before, a sort of middle eastern Alexei Sayle, made me quite keen to watch it. But the delivery was so much less than the potential. The jokes were mainly lame, the supporting cast were really weak and why on earth was the black cab driver American? It would have made much more sense if he had been a Londoner and probably would have been much funnier.It was really a by the numbers "we are all the same at heart" story line. But, because of the weak writing and delivery, it was hard to really care very much if everything worked out in the end.Such a pity as I was hoping for something along the lines of a cross between Four Lions and Friday Night Dinner. Now that would be worth watching.

Mahmud Nasir is a married father, a laid back Muslim who listens to rock music and a guy enjoys an occasional drink whose son Rashid is about to marry Uzma, the daughter of a Muslim cleric who must approve of the family. Mahmud agrees to act devout to please his son.Trouble starts when Mahmud cleans out his deceased mother's house and discovers that he was adopted. Even more shocking, his real name is Solly Shimshillewitz. He has a bad relationship with his neighbor, Lenny Goldberg, and when accused of being anti-Semitic, slips out his real identity. This leads to his biological father in a nursing home. When he attempts to visit, he is stopped by a rabbi, who says the shock would kill him. He asks Lenny to teach him to be Jewish. He learns to dance and to speak some Yiddish. He goes back to the nursing home but fails the rabbi's test to enter the room.Back at home, Mahmud meets his son's fiancé's family, including the radical Muslim father who is impressed with the video circulating of Mahmud burning a yarmulke in public. The police show up to subdue a crowd of angry Muslims and Jews and his family leave him, as does his partner at work. His father dies and he uncovers a secret regarding a Muslim leader which is both a surprise and provides a good ending to The Infidel. It is both funny and delivers a good message at the same time; can't we all just get along.

The movie summary made it appear to be something else while the movie itself is a standard-issue situation comedy. The situation is a Moslem man cleaning out his recently-deceased mom's house finds her legal documents, including his adoption certificate. Thru a standard comedy quick-reveal, he finds out he was born to Jewish parents. What follows is satires on the reality on both being Moslem and being Jewish. In that respect, this movie should be shown to both groups and discussed because both groups are fairly represented. Exactly when a man must be the best Moslem possible (so his son can marry the girl of his dreams), he has an identity crisis. The question of his identity is resolved as one would expect, but the humor is in how he does that. The irony is that the only person this Moslem man can tell about his predicament is the Jew across the street from where his mom lived. So, yes, much of the angst wouldn't have happened if he'd been able to be honest with his fellow Moslems, which is another reason both groups should watch this movie. There were points where it was guffaw funny and points where it was painfully honest.

I instantly recognised the leading actor on the DVD cover, and I noticed it being the first film to be written by David Baddiel, I obviously hadn't heard about during its release, but I decided to try it out. Basically Mahmud (Omid Djalili) is a loving husband and doting father, he may say the F word quite a lot and may not pray much, but he is relaxed living as a Muslim. It is after his mother had died that he finds something out that he never knew about himself, his birth certificate reveals not just that he was adopted, but that he was actually born Jewish. Mahmud's real name is Solly Shimshillewitz, and after this revelation he is in a spat of identity crisis, he is pretty convinced he needs to convert into his true birth religion. The only person Mahmud can turn to help him achieve this and teach him lessons in Jewishness is from American Jewish taxi driver Lenny (Deep Impact's Richard Schiff), from the palm action to dancing like Topol. After so much effort trying to change himself, and getting himself in trouble with both his family and friends, and even the authorities, Muhmud decides in the end not to hide the truth about his heritage, but he will remain a Muslim and ask everyone to let it lie. Also starring Archie Panjabi as Saamiya, Amit Shah as Rashid, Yigal Naor as Arshad El Masri, Mina Anwar as Muna, Soraya Radford as Uzma, Matt Lucas as Rabbi, Miranda Hart as Mrs. Keyes and Paul Kaye as Policeman. Djalili, who would normally be seen in supporting roles, does pretty well as the main character, and Schiff is dry-witted, Baddiel does pretty alright in the writing, I didn't get all the jokes, this may offend some people, but for me, not a bad comedy. Okay!