Anita & Me

I haven't read the book - apparently it's excellent - but the film tries and fails to be another Bend It. Anita is not a 3D character as played here, and Meena is not as engaging as she should be. The parents are both well-portrayed, and I think Kathy Burke steals the film, although Meera Syal runs her close as the over-powering aunt.There are lots of nice touches, and good lines, but you're left feeling short-changed. The script is a bit thin, and I think there's too much reliance on gags, and not enough on filling in the characters. The music soundtrack doesn't improve the film, although some of the songs were a nostalgic blast. I subscribe to the school of thought that says use music only where it adds to the overall experience; otherwise don't bother. I certainly enjoyed it, and rate it 6 out of 10 for its simple entertainment factor. However, whereas I can watch "Bend It" again and again, I will not return to this film.

The story of a young Asian girl growing up in Britain, Anita and Me will be bracketed with Bend It Like Beckham but is far superior. It's as brilliantly-scripted as About A Boy or Bridget Jones, without any of the advantages that those movies had in terms of budget, glamour and style. Particularly surprising and welcome was the fact that the film didn't feel obliged to smooth out the rough edges, for example by making Anita worthy of Meena's worship. It's this surprising integrity that makes an ostensibly lightweight film into something more substantial. It works on every level and is highly recommended.

Having lived in the Black Country for over 30 years (which is in the West Midlands, not the East as some commentators state), I looked forward to this film as a huge fan of East is East, Bend it like Beckham and the cast of Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at no. 42. The plot was thin and predictable, the acting was patchy and many of the excellent jokes were lost in poor delivery. The accents were good, particularly from Kathy Burke who obviously took the time to study Black Country as opposed to Birmingham accents. Some of the other accents were forced, Lynn Redgrave's being perhaps the worse, as was her over-acting. An opportunity seemed to be missed to develop some of the supporting characters such as the various appalling neighbours and the wonderful grandmother. The message coming across seemed to be that white families are dysfunctional, religiously hypocritical and miserable, while Asian families have a few problems but are loving and full of fun - far too simplistic. Puzzling plot devices:- What was the "Yeti" all about? Who was he, where did he come from, why was he there and what happened after? What was the point of the Motorway? I have a feeling that the novel (which I have not yet read) will explain some of this but that is not really good enough for a film to be able to stand alone. Perhaps it was a mistake for Meera Syal to be a producer and actor having been the author as well. It sometimes needs a detatched producer to be able to see the problems. Here in Australia the film has not received many good reviews, but this may be predictable in the current political climate. Most Australians also find the accents impenetrable! Believe me, I really wanted to like it, but was bitterly disappointed.

I thought this was going to be a re-run of yet another East meets West type movie but I was pleasantly surprised and impressed. Based on a novel by Meera Syal who also writes the film's screenplay, it follows the funny but often very moving coming-of-age of Meena, an above-average intelligence girl of Indian family living in a small East Midlands village. She teams up with Anita, the local (white) glam girl tear-away and the movie charts their firm friendship as they struggle individually with adolescence, family difficulties and the racism of peers. This is a wonderful and quite uplifting movie.

I came at this film being very optimistic, to me it was unheard of, and I was unsure as to who was in it, but despite this I gave it ago after hearing that it was the next 'East Is East', but it literally is the next 'East Is East'. If you have seen either 'East Is East' or 'Bend It Like Beckham' you know the basic plot for this film, it is half comedy and half drama (with nothing new really being brought to either of them). The two young girls in the film are very good (Chandeep Uppal is excellent as Meena) in their roles and you do feel for Meena and Anita by the time the film is finished, but this still isn't enough to provide absolute satisfaction.

It comes down to the fact that if you have seen either of the two forenamed films you probably won't enjoy this film as fully as it was intended. Don't get me wrong this is a good film, with moments of laughter and moments of sorrow but you do feel let down at the fact that they still couldn't be original, and that it's just another film in the collection of english/indian films that is ever increasing. If you want a film that provides a few laughs but still has a bit of heart to it, go and see this film you will enjoy it, just don't go expecting anything great, you will be let down.

Overall 6/10