Picnic alla spiaggia

I wasn't a fan of Chadha's more recent movie Bend it like beckham, which I cant stress enough just does not at all match up to the quality of this film. Old certainly IS gold, as Bhaji On The Beach clearly demonstrates, focusing on the variety of problems faced by the many characters involved and not just one leading character's problems. This is certainly what makes the movie interesting at all times. Everyone has their own issues in which to deal with and not a single uninteresting second goes by. Theres always something that holds your attention, makes you laugh or sympathise with the character(s) concerned. The combination of the excellent, upbeat dance-orientated music (which was dominant at the time in contrast to today's rubbish), colourful scenes of Blackpool pleasure beach, humour and grim reality makes this a film definitely worth watching. I urge any one interested in this genre of movies to watch this. A fantastic film that whole-heartedly deserves 10/10. It's a shame they don't makes movies like this anymore.

watching bhaji on the beach is a charming experience. gurinder chadha's debut movie is a wonderful display of her obvious talents in presenting a pleasant picture of the indian diaspora without sugar-coating it. conflicts related to gender, generation and race abound, but the film never gets depressing. full of characters and fuller of huge variety in background music, it creates an upbeat, captivating atmosphere.

chadha's latest film, bend it like beckham simply cannot match upto the charms of bhaji on the beach. while the former is more commercially driven, the latter is an honest, cheeky and ultimately endearing experience. from the inquisitive shots of a busy carnival to the innocently affable punjabi songs the women sing on the bus, the first-time director has done a brilliant job in this socio-cultural amalgam of more than half-a-dozen important characters.

strongly recommended for anyone who likes 'slice of life' movies. its been ten years since gurinder chadha made this film. several movies have been made on the NRI experience, but only two have matched up to its brilliance - east is east and leela. bhaji on the beach is a must-see.

7.25/10

A surprisingly charming little film about a multi-generational group of ethnic Indian women in England going for a day trip to the seaside. The movie dabbles in a number of issues, problems some of the women have, and problems they have with each other, mostly to do with a HUGE generation gap, something often found in immigrant families. A number of the actresses were quiet good, especially Lalita Ahmed. This one's worth a look if you're tired of murders, explosions, and car chases. Grade: B

I found this film thoroughly watchable, and compulsive viewing. I think this was mainly because of the believable main characters, a group of Asian women.

The film itself is a compendium of stories, each person having their own set of problems.

The main cast are members of the "Saheli Women's Group" on a day trip to Blackpool. There is Ginder, a battered wife who has left her husband, a young girl who is pregnant by her black boyfriend, two old women stuck in the past, a vampish "mutton dressed as lamb", and two teenagers chasing boys.

There are some nasty reminders of the prejudice in our society, such as an encounter with louts in a Service Station. There are also some amusing scenes, the teenagers ridiculing their elders for example, yet the mood swings very quickly one way and another, as they are pursued by Ginder's husband and brothers, picnic on the beach, make friends with the locals, and visit a nightclub.

The film's main weakness is the number of issues that it tries to address, it's strength the "ordinariness" of the actors, who could each fill their roles in real life.

On a scale 0-10 7. Expect to be drawn in rather than entertained.

This could've been a very nice movie, but it was such a letdown and I regret wasting 110mi utes if my life.