Discover
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Linda Gamble
Unit Publicist -
Metin Hüseyin
Director -
Kate Morath
Boom Operator -
Andrew Munro
Art Direction -
Meera Syal
Writer -
Alf Tramontin
Steadicam Operator -
Raymond Perry
Property Master -
Paul Trijbits
Executive Producer
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CinemaSerf 9/3/2023 6:35:44 AM
This is one of these gentle, tender, coming-of-age movies that raises the odd smile but is really pretty unremarkable. I can't speculate as to the degree in which it is semi-autobiographical of writer Meera Syal's own upbringing; but it centres around the story of a young British Asian girl "Meena" (Chandeep Uppal) whose family live in a town in the Midlands of England where she has to do her own growing up against a background of boredom and innate racial hostility. When the "Rutter" family move in next door, she is impressed by "Anita" (Anna Brewster) despite her being a bit rough around the edges and we head off on a journey of sweet shops, sex and self-discovery. It has a good ensemble cast including Kathy Bates and Sanjeev Bhaskar to help keep it ticking over, but it's just too safe - not that it needs violence or bad language; but it's just a little too worthy a film to stay in the memory after it's done. It wouldn't be fair to describe it as boring; but it's not far off.
Sanjeev Bhaskar
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The Reverend 'Uncle' AlanLynn Redgrave
Mrs. OmerodOmid Djalili
Uncle AmmanChristine Tremarco
SandyKabir Bedi
YetiMax Beesley
Hairy NeddyKathy Burke
Mrs. Rutter