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My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) More at IMDbPro »

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40 out of 48 people found the following comment useful :-
My Beautiful Daniel Day Lewis!, 23 August 2003
Author: absinthe123 from USA

It bugs me that this movie is the "gay" movie, just like it bugs me when a movie with black people is labeled the "black" movie. What about Mafia movies? Are those for people who are "involved"? What about "Seven" I guess that's a cult classic for serial killers. Come on, a good movie is a good movie. Trust me I identified with Omar - and I'm a straight hispanic girl - probably more than I have with any other character in a movie. This movie is about homosexuality like Charlotte Gray is about hair dye.

This movie is definitely one of my favorites. It is a look a young man (a gorgeous Pakistani named Omar) who basically tries to balance being Pakistani and British at the same time. He wants to have a business and be successful, in that Western capitalist way, and yet he wants to be good to his family and his father in that sense of family loyalty that only those of us from other cultures really understand. Omar asks his uncle to tell stories about his family in Pakistan, yet he doesn't understand his people's language - Urdu, I believe it is. This is a little insight for our white friends about what us "in-betweens" have to go through. Too ethnic for the white people, too white for our own people. It's nice to show the ethnic people looking down on the poor whites, because we do, we look down on low class white people, we have our snobbery too. It may not be right, but it's the truth. It's nice to show the sort of affectionate annoyance Omar found his Papa and Nasser for trying to help him. White people see that as overbearing, something to "escape" from (like Tania, who was the "whitest" of them all) Ethnic people have a sense of humor about it, because we know it means love, and like Omar most of us just choose to quietly listen and ignore their advice rather than make a scene. Omar never makes a scene.

That's what Johnny represents I think, the part of us we keep to ourselves, our passions and desire and those things that are too special to share, kind of like a spiritual belief. It makes their love seem almost sacred because it's too special for them to bring out and expose to the criticism of less enlightened people. It's worth noting that it's Johnny who kisses Omar semi-openly in the street, and it's Omar who doesn't tell his family why he can't marry Tania. I dont think it's so much homophobia as it a cultural difference as to what should be kept private. I could sort of see Johnny in the future demaning Omar tell his family.

Their love scene is gorgeous. When you first see Johnny he seems so rough and coarse and low class, but as he begins to seduce Omar while Omar talks about the past he suddenly seems powerful and sophisticated and . . . and just to see them getting it on on the table. It's very sweet and tender with the frantic kissing and the champange, but my god is it hot.

This certainly is a romantic (and more importantly) positive movie where two men are in love yet have a real conflict between them, and obviously gay men are right to love that, but hey, it works for informing white people, making minorities laugh, British people who grew up during that time, showing idiot homophobes that gay people are just the same as everyone else, DDL fans. Don't just slap the gay label on it and dismiss it!

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28 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
A perfect slice of Thatcherite Britain.....oh! And a fab gay romance.., 28 December 1998
Author: Nicola Osborne (nosb125299@aol.com) from Cardiff, Wales

A classic film in my book, My Beautiful Laundrette is the story of Omar, a young restless Asian man caring for his alcoholic father in Thatcherite London. Escape comes in the form of his uncles many and varied business ventures,...

Anyone who experienced anything of life in '80's Britain will recognise the craving for instant financial success. Similarly I am sure Asian viewers will recognise the struggles inherent in finding an identity in a country which is your home but which can never feel quite like your real home.

Omar dreams of success so works to achieve it...along the way he meets up with old school-friend Johnny, who has betrayed him by falling in with a group of neo-nazi's. Omar soon has Johnny working for him and his uncle. Turning the tables on him as he is made to rely on the very people he has been taught to hate. The chemistry between Omar and Johnny is palpable and their relationship handled totally matter-of-factly. About the only part of the film not trying to score any political points is the gay relationship. There is a "so-what" attitude and no-one comes out at any point. And why should they?

Tension in the film is far more the result of socio-economic and racial inequalities. The whole thing is handled with grace, charm and wit. Anyone remotely familier with British film in particular will note the starry casting of supporting roles, though Danial Day Lewis is - now - the biggest star of the show. Here he shows the real substance behind his fame - more so than in any other film of his seen to date. The cast is universally excellent and the unique shooting, pacing and dialogue, quite quite brilliant.

Some of the shots in this film could be used as a template for brilliance...An unexpected kiss in a dark alley is easily the most erotic single shot I have seen in a film.

Despite a few reviews I have read claiming otherwise, I don't believe you need to be gay or Asian to get something out of this picture. Living in Britain may help, though it's a lot less than essential.......

And hey! Wouldn't you love to throw your knickers into the washing machines of a neon-lit music-filled laudrette from heaven run by two insatiably young and energetic lovers?

Well I would anyway! Pass the detergent this way please!

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
What A Laundrette!, 5 November 2008
Author: The_Discolored_Chameleon from Fraggle Rock

'My Beautiful Laundrette' takes a look at the 80's local life within the Asian communities in England and between the British Southeast Asians and the British Caucasians. What I loved about this film is that it presents its themes without going overboard to explain or to resolve anything. When we see a relationship develop between Omar and Johnny, one would expect to see them get attacked for it and then expect a preachy message like gays have rights too but there is nothing like that. There are scenes where the British Asians are being humiliated but this too does not lead to a bloodbath of sorts. It is all downplayed and subtle. It's about the characters, rather than a social message (but that's there too).

'My Beautiful Laundrette' mainly centres around Omar and his relationship with Johnny. Hanif Kureishi is known for telling tales about unconventional relationships and I thought it was great that both characters were shown to be open about their relationships in spite of their background. I mean they weren't screaming from the roof or anything but these two individuals did not care what others would think concerning their relationships. Frears deserves full marks for telling the story in such a raw, real, humorous and coherent way. The humour too is subtle and dry and flows well through the story.

The renovated laundrette too plays a crucial role. It is a place of comfort for Omar and Johnny, kind of like a home they built and decorated. The customers are amused by the beauty of it. A fascinated Nasser dances with his girlfriend while the customers eagerly wait outside. Thus, it becomes a place of comfort for many.

The characters are well etched. Both their strength and fragility is well displayed by the actors. Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke are excellent as Johnny and Omar. Day-Lewis brilliantly brings out Johnny's vulnerable and passionate side while on the exterior he appears as a tough and scary guy. Likewise Warnecke too effectively portrays Omar's determination and passion. A charismatic Saeed Jaffrey is phenomenal as the cheerful helpful uncle who goes through his own transformation. Rita Wolf is wonderful as the daughter who's in search of her own identity. Roshan Seth is good as the whiny father. The rest of the cast do well.

Pretty much all the characters are in search of something except that Omar and Johnny find what they want and Nasser loses what he had. The film does not end by providing a solution for everyone. And that is one of the many brilliance of it as it reflects that everyone has their own life to deal with and questions will arise but life goes on and it is up to us to choose the answer.

Simply great.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Quirky Comedy-Drama Is Excellent, 17 January 2006

Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

"My Beautiful Laundrette" manages to do the difficult task of presenting important social issues without sacrificing entertainment value. It is also one of the few modern films that embraces realism without ever looking amateurish. The movie is about two friends (the son of a Pakistani couple and a white punk) who try to turn a rundown Laundromat into a financially successful business. Naturally, their ethnic backgrounds create a lot problems for both young men. Racial tension is one of the film's main themes, but director Frears never allows this aspect of the story spoil the fun. The movie deals with serious issues, but events are presented in a serious-humorous manner. The film is indeed quite funny, even though it is obvious that Frears is trying to make a serious social commentary. Daniel Day-Lewis is excellent in one of his first starring roles, but the film belongs to Gordon Warneke, who gives a moving, gentle performance. It is a modest production, but it is has a big heart. A true 'sleeper' and a triumph for Frears and company.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Not just a gay love story!, 5 February 2007

Author: metalheadmichelle from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This film works on a number of different levels. Firstly, there is the love affair between the two main characters, Omar and Johnny, brought to life by brilliant performances from both Gordon Warnecke and Daniel Day-Lewis. The audience remains mostly in the dark about the history shared by the lovers... were they lovers before their chance meeting and subsequent re-discovery or were they just friends as children and lovers as adults? Clearly, though, there has always been a close bond between the two which has remained in tact, even after Johnny had abandoned his friend to join a group of Neo-Nazis. This is where the real complexities of the story lie. The fact that Omar and Johnny embark on a gay love affair seems almost incidental. Rather, it is the power relations between the two that is important. Class, ethnicity, kinship and community are central in shaping the way in which each character perceives their role within the world. Thatcherism and the 'entrepreneurial spirit' has fuelled Omar's ambition to make something of himself in 80s Britain. Conversely, Johnny seems to have resigned himself to his downtrodden status since society has done nothing to help him, so why should he do anything for society? Thus, class is very much an issue here. Ethnicity, too, is key, as the roles of the downtrodden and oppressed seem to have been reversed, with the white, working-class Johnny being the 'victim' of the system rather than the Pakistani, middle-class Omar. Despite all of the differences, however, essentially it is their love for each other that keeps them together. There are occasions when Omar questions whether he and Johnny can really be together in the long-term, such as when he contemplates marriage, whilst Johnny seems to be subordinate, almost passive, towards Omar because of his love for him. Despite all of their differences they both seem to have a profound respect for one another, which will hopefully enable them to continue their relationship, although the ending is left rather open. The main thing when watching this is to view it not only as a gay love story. It also provides a snapshot of 80s Britain and an illustration of the fluidity of identity, and of the different life chances that people had, which is clearly still as relevant today as it was back then.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Kureishi at his best, 12 May 2000
Author: (faziners@hotmail.com) from ny

Johnny and Omar live in a world of multiple cogenerating, coexisting, modifying, negating, enforcing and enhancing forms of discrimination -- racism, sexism, groupism, homophobia, cultural elitism, snobbery, reverse colonialism, neocolonialism and fascism -- which they successfully grapple and topple in the form of their launderette with the power of economic enterprise. These squabbling goblins are left to each others excesses as economic success lifts them up and out of these, but many questions remain: will they remain; would others succeed; what does luck have to do with it? Kureshi has pissed off all groups who find themselves part of this smashing satire, prime among them the identity conscious confused second/third generation Subcontinental British kids, the same contingency that staunchly supported the Rushdie fatwa. Brilliant and stupendously enjoyable.

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10 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Magic-realist masterpiece., 7 December 2000

Author: Alice Liddel (-darragh@excite.com) from dublin, ireland

A rare instance of magic-realism that actually works in the cinema. The realism is a scrupulously observed portrait of 80s London, its people (entrepreneurs, drunks, racists, wide-boys), locales (dingy flats, delapidated laundrettes, murky car lots) and attitudes (strutting capitalism, dessicated liberalism, farcical extremism).

The magic comes from Frears' style, tweaking and heightening the real; from stylised scenes such as Omar's reuniting with Johnny; from some magical set-pieces, especially the opening of the laundrette, Omar and Johnny making love cut with Nasser and Rachel's waltz; from the clashing of an exotic, Oriental world in a determinedly materialist context.

Kureishi's script is occasionally heavy-handed, but sex is never far from his analyses of power and identity - Omar's crucial tirade against Johnny has a thrilling, Genet-esque frisson.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
multicultural and multisexual perspectives, 19 August 2003
Author: didi-5 from United Kingdom

Stephen Frears' film of Hanif Kureshi's script about the Pakistani and the NF punk who grew up as friends, and find themselves attracted to each other again. Gordon Warneke and Daniel Day-Lewis play the lovers in this intelligent movie which has a cheap British tinge but has some superb moments (Saeed Jaffrey as Warneke's uncle, ‘a professional businessman, not a professional Pakistani') within it.

Perhaps the longest-lasting image is the two boys in the back room of the launderette, splashing each other with water, and putting aside the political differences between them. Whether it truly makes its points about race and sexuality I'm not sure.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Life in 1985, 27 March 2003

Author: Bel Ludovic from London, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The 1980s were not a vintage era for film - nor, by the looks of this pioneering gem, a great time for race relations, either. That's what this film is about - that, and the main credo of the time: making money. What it's rather not about is (spoiler) the homosexual nature of the relationship between the main protagonist, Omar, and his former school friend, Johnny. The two meet after a while and Omar gives Johnny a job in his new, beautiful launderette. This film bravely featured the two men kissing and enjoying intimacy throughout the film, tenderly portrayed and extraordinarily brave during the AIDS-hysterical homophobic 1980s.

And yet this relationship in itself is almost superfluous compared to the film's other main themes. My Beautiful Launderette encapsulates with eerie veracity the South London of 1985, with the immigrants that inhabit it at a crucial moral crossroads that perfectly reflects the early 80s gloom Britain was just leaving behind and the late 80s boom it was beginning to glimpse; Omar's ill father speaks bitterly of the country and of the government, of being shafted by both, and of wanting to return to his homeland, while Omar's all-embracing uncle sees their homeland as `sodomised by religion' and Britain a `beautiful place' where money can be made, the making of money all-important to progressing in British society at the time. `Get the champagne and let's drink to Thatcher!' he announces at one point. And it's not long before his uncle's desire to make money and to make 'it' spread to the increasingly sharp-suited Omar, who parades absurdly around his neon-lit launderette, which has unwittingly become the centre of the community. But Johnny's violent, fascist former friends care not for his new company, and evoke a past which casts a shadow over his relationship with Omar.

My Beautiful Launderette is about love, violence, entrepreneurship, hope, and hopelessness, community, race, class and, of course, some extremely bad hairdos. This is a cracking film, not necessarily because of the casting, acting, directing or even the story, although all are good, but because of its value as a document of a moment in time. How long ago it all seems - and thank goodness for that.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Politics, Sex, and Punk Rock, 6 June 2002
Author: MartinInane (sfantasyman4u@excite.com) from Berkeley, CA

Want to see a side of London you won't get from any other director? Then watch My Beautiful Launderette... The film opens with a scene in which squatters are forcibly evicted from a derelict building. Londoner viewers will recognize this as a sad yet common event... Immediately, we are attuned to the political bent of the movie. Fortunately for that intent, the dialogue in the film is intelligently written (note: this will not appeal to the lowest common denominator -- it scores low on commercial appeal). Unfortunately, the often "stiff" delivery of that dialogue is a significant impediment. That said, Daniel Day Lewis lends a powerful presence to his role as the punk squatter, Johnny.

The climax of the film aptly integrates the various tensions in the film: political, sexual, and social. We're surprised with a love scene between Johnny and Omar which is well-paced, erotic, and genuine.

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