Suzie Gold

This is very much a smilar story to 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', but nevertheless was very fun to watch. There was great chemistry between the actors and even though it was very funny I have to say I do prefer 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. That is just a classic!

It revolves aroung a young Jewish girl who, like 'Toula Portakalos', wants to marry for love. It will have you laughing, I have to say, and I think us brits have done a good job in making the film. It is almost as good.

This will have many nominations for awards in my opinion, but the letdown was actually the lack of chemistry between the two main actors, but all in all, very enjoyable. :)

Happened upon this film late one night on the TV, when I might have been a tad pickled. I wasn't expecting too much but I thought I would give it 20 minutes or so before retiring to bed. Before I knew it, I was hooked, I was genuinely interested in what was going to happen to the main characters. Granted, it was riddled with stereotypes and clichés but enjoyable all the same. There was a time when I would never have showed my emotions openly but I cried three times during this film. I found it to be a sympathetic portrayal of the difficulties of living and working in a multicultural society when your parents, their parents and your 'community' expect you to behave in a certain way and to follow a path that does not deviate from the norm. I found redeeming features in all of the characters and although the film poked fun at some of their habits and actions, I thought it was done with affection rather than malice.

I actually quite liked this film. It wasn't so over the top like "My big fat Greek wedding" a little less subtle in its approach . Yes, there are some stereotypes, but they keep the audience engaged and interested.

Summer Phoenixs' performance as the title character is incredibly impressive. Her accent is believable and she manages to pull of a few laughs as her character does, at times, make a fool of herself. This lovelorn character narrates the film connecting her even more with the audience and explaining some of the Jewish rituals.

A enjoyable film, even for those who aren't Jewish.

4/5 stars

This is the tale of Suzie Gold, a 20 something Jewish girl in North London. The film takes place in the months leading up to her sister's wedding to a nice Jewish boy. Her family are semi-orthodox, but have traditional views as far as marrying out of the faith. Suzie falls for a non-Jewish guy called Darren. However she cannot introduce Darren to her family because of their perceived attitude.

I and my partner are both Jewish. When we saw the film at the local cinema I suspect that most of the audience were Jewish. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but my girlfriend hated it thinking it was too stereotypical. To me the film reminded me a little of the excellent TV play The Barmitzvah Boy, and it had a stronger and more believable story than the other Jewish film of recent years, Leon The Pig Farmer.

I thought Summer Phoenix put in a very convincing performance as Suzie Gold - her North London accent was good enough to fool me, and the film was very entertaining.

_Suzie Gold_ takes the first act from _Fiddler on the Roof_, stirs in a little _Pride and Prejudice_, and tries to update this blend for 2004. While the Jewish traditions, and anxieties, have survived intact into the new millennium, the chief innovation for the young seems to be four-letter words. And while the plot revolves around the dilemma of "marrying out" (outside of the Jewish faith), it isn't clear why any of these nice Jewish girls should care about marriage, since they all are ready to sleep with their boyfriends, whether likable or not. This ribald caricature will prevent this film from matching the wide popularity of _Greek Wedding_, which is too bad.

If you can overlook these contradictions, the portrayals are charming, the ladies handsome, and the ancient faith is shown to be alive and well. Mom, Dad, and Grandma all come through for the perplexed little Suzie, although she does what she wants instead of what they would think she ought. Suzie's father is such a warm and wise fellow, that he could singlehandedly carry the story, and he indeed must ultimately make the right call for his little girl. The film is entertaining, but not because anything is really resolved in the end (and the plot is as old as storytelling itself), but rather because the people and events are fun to watch, and a few are worth emulating.