Whatever Lola Wants

Thank you Mr Nabil for such a delicious moment: you have offered us a movie I will agree fully to re-pay the entry when leaving the theater. This is not only a very good film on Dancing,and thanks again for the wonderful teaching, it is a movie about changing, taking risks of failure to learn something new and letting others change your life: I am talking of course about Ismahan mainly, a deep character with excellent interpretation by a woman I had never seen in films... It is also a movie on tolerance, on linking between cultures and countries. The art of dancing is a powerful tool for this purpose,as arts in general have been showing it in many movies and for a very long time (Les uns et les autres, by Claude Lelouch was one of them)I have kept the images within me for the last 3 days, with a smile in my mind. It is a shame that your movie can be seen only in so few theaters in Paris. I am sure people will enjoy seeing it on TV someday, and that your work will find its real reward then. Thank you again.

I watched this film because it is mostly set and partly shot in Egypt, an interesting country. Dancing of any kind does not interest me, I might have fast-forwarded the dancing sequences if it had been a video instead of a TV broadcast. The depiction of Egyptian social norms and customs kept my interest.

The film is mildly sympathetic if a bit slow, a bit predictable and much too cute - every problem the idiot heroine creates for herself is solved too easily. There is a disturbing contrast between the realistic backgrounds and absurd plot. The leading actress is just right as the gorgeous American airhead and all the actors are credible as their characters - the problem is that what the characters do is constantly unbelievable. The ending is extremely lame.

The most annoying thing in the film is the heroine's gay friend. He is such a cliché, we have seen him do the same things in countless films and TV series. Why couldn't this person be an Egyptian woman instead of a gay man? That would have been much more believable and logical.

It was an average dance film, complete with romance issues, challenges that must be overcome and applauding happy end, but I couldn't help feel that somewhere in all that clueless blonde smiling permanent intrusion in other people's affairs there was something offensive. I don't know how Egyptians are, but I doubt that they are closeted Americans waiting to get out and express themselves to the detriment of all around.

The plot is that an aspiring New York dancer is pushed by circumstances to come to Egypt. She becomes the apprentice of a very good belly dancer and reaches tarab before the end of the movie.

Bottom line: there are some interesting items of fact about the Arab culture, especially when involving women, but the point of view is so extremely American that it felt fake. The dancer was cute, but she didn't strike me as very good, nor was she a good actress. While the film could inspire some people that are passionate about dancing, it has very few other good parts.

Whatever Lola wants is one of those happily ever after movies that you can find every now and then but what will make you follow the story is the beautiful Egyptian dance and music.

I'm not going to take this movie very seriously since it was just very fun , casual and easy going Cinderella story and you surely will love if you are in your sweet sixteen , or even teenage years ,specially if you are a girl but older than that you may only enjoy the music more than the corny story which by the way was not even close to reality ! How on earth ONLY the talent can be enough for a blond girl to become a star in the world of SHOWBIZ in a country like Egypt where all the producers are men and crave for white blonds??? I rest my case !

I saw the movie twice, in Arabic although being french, born in Egypt I do not speak the language. But the movie so perfectly done, so well played that I had the feeling I could understand all that was said.

There is charm, humor, a kind of romantic atmosphere all along the movie. This is a movie in the line of The band's visit,The Yacoubian Building, Caramel, all of them realized between 2006 and 2007 and a must see for any open minded viewer who wishes to understand the middle east culture. And of course from my personal view point I could recognize some of the places I went through as a child. A great movie, a must to see.