What's Up? (2006) User Reviews

our first movie in Saudi Arabia !

[FarAway21 · 3/10 · 9 November 2006]

what a shame our first movie is so bad .............................. hi sham , what did you do in this movie:( . . it is awful! and the director :( .. there is no story in this film . i had sleep when i was watching this film .. It is a disappointment, and the majority of the crew is not from Saudi Arabia. Supposed to be a comedy movie, but it lacks the essential elements in Comedy ,

I know it first experience of cinema in Saudi Arabia, but I expect better from Kaif Al Hal !! The only positive in the movie is the presence of some talented actors who did not help much text to explode their talents Finally.., iwant to know your comment about this movie guys... is it bad or what?

ALAS! It was bad, truly bad

[ayaa1977 · 2/10 · 14 January 2007]

Total disgrace! Truly awful! The screenplay and dialogue is a joke, and combined with a director who doesn't have a clue about life in Saudi Arabia. It's not a surprise, quite Saudi film ha, the director is Palestinian-Canadian, the writer is Lebanese, the lead actress is Jordanian, and the shooting took place in Dubai, and all these inauthentic elements shows well to make the film far from representing the Saudi society. Yes it contains some Saudi clichés, the stuff we see in cartoons in the newspapers everyday, but that's about everything. The film had the opportunity to show real problem with Saudi society, or at least give us something new and genuine about the youth troubles and concerns in Saudi Arabia, instead it copied and pasted from here and there, and the result was a mess. Even the supposedly love story in the movie doesn't exist or at least we haven't seen it. The only bright side in this total debacle is some good acting from the supporting cast. The veteran Khaled Sami was funny in a badly written role as the grand father, which he is clearly got miscasted for, as he looks younger than the actor who plays his son. Also the actor who plays the fanatic brother's role, Turki Al-Yusuf, has done well, in fact he was the best actor in the film. The rest of the cast, being professionals for long, did an OK job, but the lead actor Hisham Abdulrahman was just bad. He had one look of a little adorable bobby for all situations. He couldn't even say his lines in a proper manner. He has charisma that made him wins the title of Star Academy, a very famous reality show, and he is good in interviews and TV shows, but he was just the weakest link of this film. The lead actress I didn't mind very much, but even she wasn't exactly a strong presence, gave bad performances in some key scenes,, and overplayed her sensuality in unnecessary way.

The Film was a huge hit, Saudi flocked in thousands to neighboring Bahrain and Dubai to attend it when it was screened there, and it made a tone of money, then it was screened in pay-per-view, then in broadcasting TV, and that was in a span of a few weeks. This was to cash on Saudis eagerness to homegrown entertainment, but alas; the film was neither homegrown, nor entertaining.

Proof that a good Saudi film is indeed needed

[aifo4ever · 3/10 · 23 July 2008]

The amount of hype and the huge success this film has encountered is evidence how desperate our people are towards a good independent Saudi film. In fact the huge success of "Tash ma Tash" is also an evidence.

I'm not going to start of how important film making is, as it is obvious to those with half a brain how films have changed the world.

And I'm not going to say how much our society needs a bunch of films to clear out a lot of issues we have in our country. Religion, politics, women's rights, education, general health, terrorism, Law and many many more.

Along came news about the fist Saudi movie which should've been a remedy to some of the issues we have, especially towards the youth. Instead we experienced a bald movie for that matter.

The ignorance and naivety of the script was obvious. It was as if a 13 year old had written it.

Now I've heard that the budget for this film was huge. I would like to know where the money went, huh? The effects were really ugly, the editing was poor. The script was "kharabeet". You really don't know what the story is and what the director aims at from this film.

A note on the actor who played the religious brother, his performance was good but with bad direction. Another thing with the role of the religious friends he had, that is not how religious guys act here in Saudi Arabia! They are not "Evil" as this film intends. In fact they are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet with some really uncommon way of living, and that is what should've appeared in the film.

The youth are following the religious here because of a reason, and that is the youngsters are the most passionate and sentimental. And with the well formed principles the religious live on, the youngsters follow them. Again, this is what should've appeared.

We need another "First Film" with a Saudi Writer, actor, director, composer, even cameraman. So that they all work with passion towards their experiment, not just for the money!

And we should do what Shakespeare did hundreds of years ago, we should include phrases from the Qur'an in the script of the movie. As the people in our society still see art as a form of sin, the challenge a Saudi movie maker is facing is changing the mentality in that angle.

A Canadian Director, an Egyptian Writer and a Jordanian Actress in a Leading Role Made the First Saudi Movie Which is not showing in its Motherland (Saudi Arabia) !!!

[Faisal_Flamingo · 1/10 · 10 November 2006]

This is a fact that this is the 1st Saudi feature film to be shown in cinema theaters but not in Saudi Arabia for a simple reason we don't have cinema theaters in our large kingdom .. not only one cinema theater! The government forbidden opening cinema theaters after the Islamic extremists OR the religious police (or both) asked for closing it in the late 1970s & the early 1980s .. accusing the 7th art with encouraging wrong sex relationships and stuff like that .. I don't see a powerful reason why we don't open cinema theaters!! .. we have many videos stores throughout the kingdom, we watch movies in the TV from some satellite channels, we can install the "Showtime" set channels and after all movies in general seems harmless in many ways .. I know many people how go to neighboring countries only to watch a couple of films .. I personally went to Bahrain several times only to watch films in theaters because watching it there is big fun unlike watching a movie home. Saudis pay the most expensive cinema ticket in the world, we travel to watch movies while the rest of the world have cinema theaters around every town. This is one of the problems that we are having!! ..

The movie is produced and presented by Rotana Filmed Entertainment which is a major company belongs to the Saudi tycoon-prince Alwaleed Bin Talal (the 8th richest man in the world).

The movie's title is a word means literally "how are you?" but it is also a slang means "what's up!", sometimes used as a slang to say "bad" about something and sometimes is used as a slang to tell someone politely to mind his business & not to interfere in someone else's affairs. Anyway, I think they meant (how are you) & (what's up!) in the same time, I could be wrong though.

Male actors are from Saudi Arabia like Hisham Abdulrahman who is very famous and has some popularity after winning 1st prize in Arabian realty show more like "American Idol", he works in some TV programs like the Arabian version of "Cash Taxi" .. the other famous actor is Khaled Sami who is funny and has a very good sense of humor .. other actors like Mishal Al-Mutairi, Turki Al-Yusuf and Ali Al Sabea are less famous and they work on some TV series shows. Female actresses are non-Saudis and they did a very good job speaking the Saudi accent .. Jordanian actress Mais Hamdan in leading role & Emeriti actress Fatima Al-Hawsani .. not that we don't have Saudi actresses but are few and not that good.

A Saudi critic " Rja Al-Mutairi" who writes for Alriyadh Newspaper (the most popular newspaper in the kingdom) wrote about it saying: "lets not expect much of the 1st Saudi feature film. It was born in unusual circumstances therefore we can't judge it under the usual standards like any other film. It is a fact that the movie hit a huge financial success in its 1st opening days only in Kingdom of Bahrain. The movie is fresh and is about a Saudi family deals (interacts) with controversial fresh issues inside the Saudi society like: women driving cars, the low-shallow thoughts about the arts, the guardianship of the society by a certain group & the differences between being conservative and being an extremist. The ideas are good but you feel you are lost in the middle of the movie. One of the movie's advantages is the beautiful music score by Rajeh Dawood which was good but sometimes it doesn't match or express what's in the picture. Turki Al-Yusuf did a great job .. his performance was the best alongside with Mais Hamdan .. the biggest loser is the leading actor Hisham Abdulrahman who came behind the supporting actors Mishal Al-Mutairi, Ali Al Sabea and Khaled Sami who did a good job within the limits of their roles.

after all, " Keif al-hal?" even with all of its disadvantages still an OK movie and it is a very good 1st step of Rotana .. and the movie became the speech of people and streets which is a golden goal to make a strong debates inside the Saudi society about movies in general until they become aware of the importance of the 7th art and other arts"

PS: there is another Saudi filmmaker "Abdullah Almohaisen" claims that he directed the 1st Saudi movie titled "Shadows of Silence".

I haven't seen the movie yet .. I hope I've been helpful.

The first?! It is not even a Saudi! It has no identity!

[Broken_Guitar · 1/10 · 21 January 2007]

This piece of crap doesn't worth a critical review so I'll write some information for those who don't know the background of this movie. First off all it is not the first Saudi movie, they used this wrong info for commercial purpose (they lied!). Second they made it for money not for anything else so they picked the jerk (Hesham) who won Star Academy (like Big Brother) it is a popular show and the jerk Hesham is popular but dumb, cheesy & untalented then picked the famous Kuwaiti actor Mohammed Al Sairafi (also dumb & untalented) but has a popular (count how many times I'll use the word "popular" then email me to get your prize, however..) has popular show and the Jordanian actress Mais Hamdan who appeared in POPular comic show CBM (unfunny) so she is famous * PoPular! Then they picked some Saudi actors for .. blah blah blah. The funniest thing is the director! He is Canadian with Palestinian roots (I believe that the identity of the movie is the identity of its director) .. wait a minute! The screen play was written by an Egyptian screenwriter (very awful one!) with some help from Lebanese critic (famous as critic but actually he is a money collector!). This group of the multi races (money slaves) doesn't know anything about the Saudi culture they don't represent it but when we know who is behind this garbage all our questions will be relieved! Waleed bin Talaal is Saudi prince and (B U S I N E S S M A N) who doesn't care about the Saudi culture or Saudi people he even doesn't live in Saudi Arabia (even if he lives he will live in his own world, his world is far far far away from the real world the people world) so he doesn't know anything or care about anything except raising his endless fortune.

*Not Saudi movie(not anything movie).

Screw them all.

Beep out of 10!

ROTANA Please Get the film industry

[mutairii · 1/10 · 14 March 2008]

This film revival right march in a bad film industry and Saudi Arabia, I want to know how the director was able to stand in front of people of the industry after he making this film, work was so very bad, we do not know how cinema Saudi companies such as Rutana and other does not support yang Filmmakers in KSA like UAE We hope in the future to prosper film industry in Saudi Arabia But without such intervention Fools traders and idiots make us bad movies do not benefit the reputation of cinema in Saudi Arabia is like the Roman and Iranian cinema At the same time, please makers simple experimental cinema in Saudi Arabia such as Abdullah alayaf And others to achieve the dream of a good film industry to participate in festivals world away from the major companies interventions stupid

Why do reputable sites stream garbage like this?

[qui_j · 1/10 · 8 April 2021]

This is a total waste of time. The script is childish, the actors are all amateurs and the production comes across like a bad home movie assignment done for a high school drama class. It's even sadder when it claims to represent the Saudi film industry! Needs to be hidden away and never see the light of day ever again!

Saudi Hit movie!

[erdekes · 10/10 · 1 November 2006]

Absolutely Fabulous!! Hail to Director Izidore Musallam and Prince Walid for doing this movie.............................................Let's have a sequel soon, because we all want to see what Sahar will do next! She's our Arab version of Brigitte Jones...! I agree with The New York Times: The plot may seem mundane but in important ways, "Keif al Hal" is a landmark project with big ambitions. It is the first feature film from Saudi Arabia, a country with not a single legal movie theater.We need more free-spirited characters and mentors for our young people to feed off of. Excellent Film - A must see, for Women and Men... Thanks

a light view of a different world

[mitchnick · 7/10 · 3 November 2006]

i liked this film quite a bit. it lets us glimpse into a world that north Americans are completely with. it deals with their real issues in a palatable way that makes you realize that, as serious as these issues are, they are all human beings. they are human characters that have the same conflicts as everyone else in the world. i thought it was a little overacted, but i feel that is probably a cultural thing. the father was quite good and his two business partners were quite funny in their attempt to court his daughter. their children are quite good as well. the brother's intensity is quite scary but not out of line with what we all see on the news every day. the cousin is just such a happy drifter that you can't help be like him. i would have like to see a little more of the country and a broader visual sense of where they were. the grandfather had a tendency to chew up the scenery. i found the nephew's searching for something a little vague in the film, but still enjoyed it

Kaif Alhal mirrors what goes on in the Saudi Society

[afraidn · 10/10 · 24 December 2006]

Although it has received a lot of criticism because of some mistakes in the film, a lot of people have crowded in cinemas throughout the Arab countries (Except Saudi Arabia as there is no theater's). The movie describes some practices in the Saudi society. These practices were left to the audience to decide what is right and what is wrong, which I believe this is one of the strong point of the film. The film shows that there are some good Saudi actors while the film star (Hisham Abdurohman) did not convince us with a good performance as expected. This film is considered to be the first Saudi long movie ever made. I hope this is the first step toward other successful Saudi movies.

Fantastic film

[grf212 · 10/10 · 31 October 2006]

Original and culturally refreshing. Highly recommended for anyone looking to expand and enrich their palette for haute couture film. Truly a visual and intellectual delight that touches on contemporary issues in the Arab world.

It is a surprising gem for the first feature film to come out of conservative Saudi Arabia. However, the issues are anything other than conservative and take the audience through a range of emotions from laughter to tears all the while addressing controversial issues and pushing the limits on on women's rights.

It is nothing short of a revolutionary work to come out of Saudi Arabia -- and for that alone it is worth seeing.

Gabriel