El próximo oriente

This is my first review only because I am bothered by the low rating. This was one of the best romantic comedies I have seen and I see a lot of movies. The ending is predictable, but so what, all romantic comedies are. The people who rated it low are probably not big on romantic comedies in general. This movie was so touching on many levels. It's the kind of movie that you walk out of feeling really good. The story is about a man who is jealous of his womanizing brother's ability to attract decent women. He takes pity on one of his brothers victims who is a Muslim woman with a strict father. He tries to help her and make up for his brother's indiscretions and ends up immersing himself in their culture. I loved that it gave a beautiful portrayal of a Muslim family. I learned some really cool things like how they give 2.5% of their earnings to someone in need (directly) and how they don't believe in carrying debt. This is not an award winning type cinematic masterpiece, but I gave it 10 stars because it's fun and has the ability to actually change your mood.

Edit: - I noticed that all the other reviews were from 2006, so I should mention that I saw this in April 2007 at the 23rd Chicago Latino Film Festival at Facets.

What starts out like a contrived infomercial to dispel confussion about what is Muslim versus the image of cultural repression many Muslim countries disseminate; slowly turns into an entertaining situational comedy. The situation is conteived but not unbelievable, and the protagonists interpretation is convincing enough to sell it.

This is a beautiful and hilarious love story that touches on all kinds of very human themes like inter-racial romance, immigration and its effects on the family, sibling rivalry.. and much more. Plus if you have ever been to Madrid, you can recognize the streets of the Lavapies neighborhood. It is very authentic. All in all I think this is an amazing movie (which by the way I saw in the theater in Madrid) and I was laughing throughout the whole thing! The Spanish humor is great! If you're in the mood for a feel-good movie that has you laughing throughout and can even show you around Madrid a little, go for this one. The writers, director and actors have all done an excellent job!