East is East……anyone else not get it?

[sochicsocheap]

I’m early 30s so not sure if this is why I have this opinion….after lots of talk from people I know/online hype I finally watched East is East.
When it ended I was a bit I thought there was another 30 mins left. I don’t get it, I don’t understand the hype…I was sure it was meant to be a comedy? Is it just me? Did I completely miss a hidden plot?

It was billed as a comedy, but it is not a comedy.
Not a very nice film, no matter how old you are.

Yeah I think it must have been one of those ‘of it’s time’ films.
I dunno why but I kept hearing about it from different people the last few years. Then there was a ‘big up’ thread of it on a FB group few months ago. So when it was on tv recently I finally watched it.
I might watch west is west though to see if I can get over the disappointment

I don't understand what's not to get. What were you actually expecting?

@EIIa

Show some bastard respect!

Must admit this did actually make me laugh

@GoldSilverGlimmer

It was billed as a comedy, but it is not a comedy. Not a very nice film, no matter how old you are.

Bet you like crap such as Harry Potter ie make believe

Not a nice film as in near the knuckle and upsetting at times I read that as

Comedy can be complex and sad and show a mirror to life. It can make things more palatable for people to address dark things. It can be used to topple governments and make people see themselves more clearly. Some of the best dramatic actors were in comedy first because comedy acting is the hardest and comedians are often troubled people.

Then there's Mrs. Brown's Boys.

You pays your money, you takes your choice.

It’s one of my favourite films. So clever, funny and poignant. Aside from being a good reflection of British-Asian culture in the 70s and 80s it’s also a really well made and beautifully written film.

Fantastic film
As is west is west
Utter brilliance

“Yeah I think it must have been one of those ‘of it’s time’ films”

Or it might just be…. You!

I loved it. Tragi-comic drama.

I’m early 30s and I love East is East! It’s one of the few films I can watch over and over, along with Billy Elliot!

I'll have half-cup

He make a bloody show of me !

@OvertiredOverthinker I like Billy Elliot too - have you seen the film of the musical? I really liked it and now alternate watching the two versions.

'Brassed Off' is another film of that type which I liked.

I think it’s funny, and sad.
I watched it again recently and was sad at the end when nothing changed for them. Despite a beating she was still making him a cup of tea and working in his shop
To be fair, it is set in the 70’s, so I suppose not many women escaped from domestic violence.

I loved it. Along with “Anita and Me”, “Bend It Like Beckham”, “Bride and Prejudice”, “White Teeth”, directors like Gurinder Chadha I guess it was just vogue at the time to speak to the coming-of-age second generation south Asian British immigrant experience. There’ll be more to “get” if you’ve lived in or are one of those communities - like I guess the recent “Ackley Bridge” does (which I don’t get so much, I “came of age” early 2000s). At the time there was even the parallel to Pop Idol, “Bollywood Star” and Honey Kalaria was everywhere.

I did rewatch East is East as an adult and the sadder parts hit much harder, not just the DV but the circumcision, the distance between the dad and his kids and how they’ll never get each other, the (completely misguided) earnestness of the dad to remember and replicate where he came from - it really spoke to the experience loads of us have, and it totally deserves its critical acclaim in distilling that.

There’s another thread about Bridget Jones, and some of the posters were saying that now there’s an expectation for aspirational story arcs of how things should be, rather than reflecting lived experiences of the time which is why Bridget Jones was such a hit, same with this film I think. To succeed now it would need to have more of a redemption arc, rather than settling into the relentless inevitability of where they’ve ended up in life.

Yep
Country of origin moved on and parents stuck in ideals from 20 years ago.

From the title of your thread I thought you were from East London and having a go at people who don't get it! innit! 😂

@TheChemicalMother

“Yeah I think it must have been one of those ‘of it’s time’ films”

Or it might just be…. You!

I loved it. Tragi-comic drama.

I’m starting to think it must be just me 😅

@whatnumber

From the title of your thread I thought you were from East London and having a go at people who don't get it! innit! 😂

Nah, ima North Londoner mate 😂

I’m early 30s too btw!

It's in the style of a kitchen sink drama like A Taste of Honey. The character are tragic but we can relate. Things are funny because they are things that happen to us and part of normal life

I’m just 31. I’ve loved it for years. Not sure what’s not to get.

@PasstheBucket89 exactly, bleakness and comedy combined. My mum grew up in a mixed race family in the 50’s and 60’s, she said it was far from a bundle of laughs. For example when other people’s parents wouldn’t let their children play with her, as she was mixed race