Semitic disputes among themselves and not only Mahmoud is an ordinary Englishman of Pakistani origin, not too zealous Muslim, but a happy father and husband. After his mother’s death, Mahmoud learns a shocking truth about his origins, and all further action represents his attempts to embrace a new identity. In this newly minted son of Israel will be helped by the American Jew Lenny, who successfully came under the arm of the screenwriter, who does not respect Islam too much, but is ready to help Mahmoud-Solly.
Not that it is a very funny comedy: the emphasis is on the behavior of the main character in comic situations, and jokes about Islamic life can only be laughed at. There are no complaints about acting, but it is impossible to say that the film is addictive. I must say that the Judeo-Islamic collisions in the film are written out very softly: serious grounded accusations, as the genre requires, sound only in the skirmishes between the characters, and the main attention is paid to overcoming various stereotypes. What it is like to be a Jew and an anti-Semite at the same time, whether lying is acceptable to close people, how to please several communities at once and how to cope with a new one – here is a short list of questions raised in the film.
Shot in the notorious spirit of multiculturalism, the picture is based on familiar premises: a belief in tolerance, the hope that religions can live in peace and harmony, love for dissenters. These beautiful ideas, however, did not take into account the sweetness of ignorance and the charm of the archaic fundamentalism. In the social consciousness constrained by postmodern oppression, all world pictures are appropriate, despite their glaring inadequacy of reality for a critical view. The last scene of the film is very characteristic of this European vision of society.
The figure of the Islamist preacher Arshad denouncing European, “moderate” Muslims is very indicative. Even if he and his gangster-like companions are shown somewhat caricatured - the image itself is still convincing. It is no secret that it is very simple to become a radical - you should simply abandon self-education and allow clerics to form their own worldview. Today, when Boko Haram and ISIS are rampaging in the world, when Islamism claims to be bloody terrorist attacks, the cracks that will inevitably split the civilized world are clearly visible. All these contradictions in the film lie on the surface, and its finale is quite predictable. One can only hope that sooner or later the course of the real, and not fictional history, will clear up.
Some may find this review too serious for a comedy, but these topics are not easy today.
7 out of 10