We’ve seen the clash of cultures and generations before , but never quite so humorously. This time, the focus is on the Pakistanis living in England, and it’s quite amazingly done, perky and inventive to the core. For while it’s consistently fun -- with a couple of unnecessarily piggish moments near the end, which I’ll get to in a moment -- East Is East is, at crucial moments that make it more than just another funny comedy, quite dramatically moving as well.
The film centers on George Khan, incarnated by the wonderful Indian actor Om Puri, who’s pockmarked and incredibly real. He’s married to an English woman, Ella (done by Linda ), they slave their lives away running a fish ’n’ chips shop, and they have seven kids, who are more than a handful. The two eldest, Tariq and Abdul, are fully integrated into British society and have no interest in the ancient ways of their father, who’s desperately trying to hold on to the traditions that give his life meaning.
It’s discovered early on that the 12-year-old, Sajid, hasn’t even been circumcised, much to George’s dismay. Several very funny bits follow in which Dad tries to negotiate Sajid out of his hiding place, offering to trade a new watch for Sajid’s foreskin. The kids illicitly cook sausages and bacon, then wildly apply air freshener when Dad is heard approaching.
At the end of his rope, the bullheaded George decides that only an arranged marriage for his two eldest sons, with some nice Pakistani girls, will set his family right again, though Tariq, in a telling moment of ethnic confusion, shouts that he has no interest in marrying a ’’Paki.’’ Mom is torn between wanting to support her husband and giving her kids the freedom they need to grow up, and physically suffers for her indecision at the hands of an enraged George in the film’s darkest moment.
East Is East is superbly written, with nary a slow moment to be found. The producers also took a chance by turning over directorial duties to another first-timer .