Peace After Marriage

PEACE AFTER MARRIAGE, European title, "Only in New York" Directed and starring Ghazi Albuliwi image1.jpeg Ghazi Albuliwi New York stand up comedian director of Palestinian background

A sexually frustrated Palestinian-American, Arafat, still living with his traditional Muslim parents at age thirty and addicted to porno joins a Sex Addicts Anonymous therapy group and is befriended by a guy who sincerely wants to help him escape from the clutches of the stifling parents who are trying to marry him off to a "nice Arab girl back home".

After walking out on an arranged marriage over in Palestine, back in New York his friend Kenny sets him up to marry an Israeli girl who needs a Green Card... What A bargain -- money he needs badly and real sex -maybe. But this sets off a war at home with his parents, who will stop at nothing to divorce him from his new Jewish wife. Hiwever, the new paper marriage couple -- after some tricky beginnings in separate beds -- actually fall for each other which complicates matters considerably and sets up some hilarious'scenes because our hero Arafat (No relation to Yasser) is totally Americanized and takes their cultural differences with a grain of salt -- very amusing grains which will finally win her heart. However, there are some flies in the ointment, like an old fiancé from Israel who turns up --- whom she brushes off with the Statue of Liberty looking on -- but she is Nevertheless on the verge of returning to her family in Israel on general principles, when -- well, lets not give it away -- See and enjoy! Actress Einat Tubi was a discovery -- Speaks no accent English and, apparently Hebrew as well. Young, good looking, and a natural actress to boot. The opening générique (credits sequence) was a fantastic lead in composed of colorful cartoon images and the production itself seemed to be heavily Turkish backed. Most staff credits were Turkish names. As much a drama as a comedy but more of the latter, with great use of New York streets, Arab restaurants and Chinatown where it all ends.

In essence this is more of a Palestinian film than Israeli -- but it does take the weewee out of that useless conflict. Director Albuliwi is convinced that the best way to resolve the endless conflict is to get Israelis and Palestinians to laugh together in the same room and this film is certainly a step in the right direction.. I want to see it again ASAP -- Funny, heart warming, serious, a bit outrageous --- Has everything -- and jumps right up onto my Best Ten list for 2016. --------

9 January 2016: I found this movie by accident on the I-net and I am glad that I did. I am not Jewish, but I speak basic Hebrew and I am pro Israel. However, I truly wish and pray for the peace of God to fall on the hearts of the Jewish and Palestine Arab people there. From the Holy Bible, Arabs and Jews are both cousins. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, by Hagar, the Arab Egyptian woman and the later a son Isaac by his wife, Sarah, a Jewish woman.

Anyhoo, this movie was very funny and well acted from start to finish. I would like to see more movies that promote love and peace between Arabs and Jews to stamp out hate, racism and bigotry, which is what this movie does by the end of the movie.

Great cast of Israeli and Arab actors/actresses such as Hiam Abbass who is in the movie "Exodus, False Gods and Kings" played a Jewish mother to Moses and in this movie, she is playing her real nationality, a Palestine Arab. She is good. Israeli actress, Einat Tubi is pretty and talented. The one plus would have been to have one of Israel's most beautiful women, Ilanit Levi, former Miss Israel in this movie.

Arab actor/writer, Ghazi Albuliwi wrote a very funny script and does a good job as a guy looking to marry an American girl to stay in America legally. I was happy that they fell in love, she became pregnant and true loves overcomes hate, racism and bigotry. One of the funniest and endearing lines in the movie is when friend of lead actress, Einat's Miki character tells pregnant Miki, "you got a little Jew Arab inside of you". I wonder how well the cast of Jews and Arabs got alone or were able to put aside their disdain for each other and make a good comedy movie. I give it a 9 on the movie scale.