I was looking forward to this having found Omid Djalili funny on TV. But I switched off after 5minutes because of the vile language.
My heart was truly moved. Don't miss out...
I can't get enough of Richard Schiff after getting to know him as a actor in the West wing. He plays so Well in this hidden gem of a movie.
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.
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.
This seems to be two movies; one good, one not so good. It starts off well enough, seemingly like a Muslim Cosby Show.
The Infidel is pretty much a one-trick pony: the shocking birth identity revealed. The same thing was done with black/white tensions in "A Family Thing," starring James Earl Jones and Robert Duvall.
And original and challenging story of identity and heritage that feels like a comedy only to have a disarmingly well articulated serious side without ever loosing its humor or accessibility in the process.Omid Djalili makes a wonderful Modern Muslim Father with his own sour cultural biases that he keeps under wraps and manages to be very a sympathetic character despite the tacit antisemitism he shows early in the movie.
Viewed at the Festival de Film 2011, CannesOmid Djalili is a brilliant comedian. So is David Baddiel, the writer.
