The Infidel

Viewed at the Festival de Film 2011, Cannes

Omid Djalili is a brilliant comedian. So is David Baddiel, the writer. But The Infidel's biggest weakness is its contrived and less than fully functional script: a proud Muslim man discovers he's actually Jewish. Roll on the floor clutching your sides? Afraid not.

It's not that the film's heart is in the wrong place, but it wears its liberal credentials and heart so openly, flaunting them on both sleeves, so desperate not to offend it takes no risks whatsoever and comes over as, at best, anodyne.

Yes there are some good laughs, but they are occasional and not frequent enough. Instead, we get the author using the characters to give a wave-the-index finger lecture about the need for all of us to get on and look below the surface that is religion and judge the person. Problem is, for many people religion is more than surface deep but the core of the individual, so all reality is missing from this film. Just pause for a second and consider how a strictly religious community would most likely react to discovering one of its members is actually batting for the other side, as it were.

Well, fair enough, this is meant to be a comedy, which brings me back to my main criticism: it's not that funny. Omid Djalili has his moments, rolling his eyes and floundering around as his whole life and identity is turned upside down. He also has the perfect white, liberal, Guardian-reading, Channel 4-viewing person's ideal of the perfect Muslim family. Like I say, contrived to the nines.

This is an audience that doesn't need this film because it's already presold on it. Will the film change the mindset of the less tolerant members of the community? Of course not, because they won't go see it anyway. As entertainment it falls flat because it's too preachy, too well intentioned, telling you to eat your broccoli and explaining why it's good for you. In fact, if all concerned were not part of the charmed inner circle of British film making, The Infidel would never have got made to start with, any decent producer rejecting the script at the outset.

After a long time, I get the chance to see another charming little British comedy in the form of David Baddiel's 'The Infidel'. In times like this, when there is so much tension in the world between people of different religious backgrounds, 'The Infidel' has come at the right time. But while the film has a relevant message addressing the tension between Muslims and Jews, at heart, it's a comedy. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments and the cultural and religious clashes are hilariously depicted. Directorially Josh Apignanessi has done a fine. Baddiel's writing is sharp and his original story is well displayed on screen. Omid Djalili is remarkable as Mahmud, the Muslim who doesn't pray fives times a day, who doesn't fast every day of Ramadan and who occasionally has a(n alcoholic) drink, but whose world is shattered when he discovers that his biological parents are Jews. Archie Punjabi looks a little too young to play the mother of a twenty-something young man. Otherwise she is terrific with a laidback performance as Mahmud's wife. Richard Schiff is hilarious as he once again depicts his flair for dry humour.

'The Infidel' gets a little dramatic in the pre-ending sequences. Sometimes it's a tad too preachy. However, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to keep one thoroughly entertained. Cleverly written, well directed, wonderfully acted, 'The Infidel' is tickling entertainment.

There's no denying that "The Infidel" treads tough ground, one that doesn't need much reminding in this day and age. And to be fair, "The Infidel" is one of the more amusing films centred around Muslim/Jewish hostilities in years. Anchored by a hearty performance by stand-up Omid Djalili, who's made funny, incisive observations in his act about his culture and background in relation to English society and also, about the way they talk and behave and what tends to go unsaid in his presence. He has a fun time filling in the nuances of his role here with this keen understanding and terrific comic timing.

Djalili plays Mahmud Nasir, a moderate Muslim father and business-owner in England who finds out that he was born Solomon (Solly) Shimshillewitz and was adopted by Muslim parents. Understandably upset by the threat this weight of truth might bring to his normalcy, Mahmud hides the truth from his impossibly attractive wife (Archie Punjabi), a young daughter who spouts insanely ridiculous stereotypes and from a son who's about to marry the step-daughter of a radical Pakistani cleric. Rocked with an identity crisis, Mahmud enlists the help of a grumpy native New York Jew, Lenny Goldberg played with quick-fire efficiency by Emmy-winner Richard Schiff.

Djalili and Schiff pair well together. Frequently, the best scenes in the film coalesce around them as they traverse new ground – as Mahmud discovers a heritage he never knew and Lenny finds respect for a culture he's spent valuable time opposing. The moral of the story is clear: We're all the same. It's a trite notion but delivered with enough heart and equal opportunity offending on both sides.

This is a high-concept comedy with middle-brow ambitions, setting up substantial questions on ethnicity and religion but leave them hanging. It wants to co-opt the serious issues at play but not address them. At first glance, it's got a premise that brings humour right to the table but even with the best Djalili's got to give, the film lumbers along until a final third that just breaks down in hysterics and plain narrative tedium.

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Surely this film is one of my favourites. The storyline in itself is not much special, it all works out in the end, happy ending.

But how it plays with the various prejudices is great. From very subtle and in the background to very penetrating.

The scenes where Saamiya and her friend in nikaab are gossiping or playing sports are great. My absolute favourite joke is when Lenny welcomes Mahmud into the global conspiracy when it tells him what is going on.

Painful is Mahmud's employee suddenly resigning when Mahmud's situation comes out.

Omid Jalili plays a great role, very believable as a man whose entire self-image completely collapses when he discovers his origins. The jokes could have been a bit more confrontational as far as I am concerned, but all in all a film I enjoyed watching and will watch more often.

A kind of film that unfortunately would no longer be made in the current climate. You will have to make a lot of effort to even find it on a streaming service. Pity because it shows very clearly that we are all human beings, and a lot of problems are solvable.

While I did laugh and smirk at this film a few times, it is far from the best comedy I've seen in movies. The interplay between the characters is often well written and there are really some inspired moments (the young daughter's jihaddist language was hilarious!) But the humor sometimes asks you to stretch your suspension of disbelief a little too much.

What I thought was really worthwhile in this film was the portrayal of some modern Muslims and their families and community. We see a tabloid-reading woman in a full burqah with a wonderful east-end/Scottish/cockney accent, an engaging imam who has a ready interpretation of how the modern faithful may deal with homosexuality, and the prevalent use of the internet as a means for modern Muslims to keep current and in-touch. This film deals with issues that are very very important and shows how everyday people respond to them in a very open way.

And I think comedy, if it's done properly, is really the best way to approach these issues in media. This movie does break down some barriers, by showing that, yes, we have some very definite cultural heritages that don't always get along, but we're all just people and we have to share this world for better or for worse.

I would definitely recommend this for any audience. Parents will want to know there is adult subject matter and a lot of adult language. The racist language is an integral part of the story and adds, rather than detracts from the work.

You don't have to be any certain faith to laugh or cry. The Infidel shows this.