Hideous Kinky (1998)

Hideous Kinky is the story of two sisters (seven and five years old) traveling with their hippie mother from London to Morocco. They encounter many adventures, new experiences, and ... See full summary »

Director:

Gillies MacKinnon

Writers:

Esther Freud (novel), Billy MacKinnon

Stars:

Kate Winslet, Bella Riza, Saïd Taghmaoui

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Winslet	...	Julia
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Bilal
Bella Riza	...	Bea
Carrie Mullan	...	Lucy
Pierre Clémenti	...	Santoni
Abigail Cruttenden	...	Charlotte
Ahmed Boulane	...	Ben Said
Sira Stampe	...	Eva
Amidou	...	Sufi Sheikh
Michelle Fairley	...	Patricia
Kevin McKidd	...	Henning
Peter Youngblood Hills	...	Hippy
Mohcine Barmouni	...	Aziz
Annouar Zrika	...	Hicham
Mohamed Cherkaoui	...	Hadaoui

Storyline

Hideous Kinky is the story of two sisters (seven and five years old) traveling with their hippie mother from London to Morocco. They encounter many adventures, new experiences, and interesting culture as they tag along on their mother's search for freedom and love. It is told through the eyes of the youngest girl, and we learn her observations on life, Mum, and determined sister, Bea.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | breasts | girl child | male frontal nudity | bare breasts | 

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Taglines:

It's not just an adventure... It's a love affair.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kate Winslet met her first husband, Jim Threapleton, on the set of this film. He was the third assistant director.

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Quotes

Julia: So, how was your first day at school?
Bea: Well, a little girl wet herself.
Julia: [laughs] And?
Bea: The teacher took her to the front of the class
[pause]
Bea: and beat her
[pause]
Bea: and beat her with a cane
[pause]
Bea: until she stopped crying and than she beat her some more
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006)

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Soundtracks

Somebody To Love
Composed by Grace Slick
Performed by Jefferson Airplane

User Reviews

Looks great but is a bit aimless at times

The story of two young girls and their mother who leave London to live in Morocco to allow their mother, Julia, to discover herself. Once there they find many things ranging from love, happiness to poverty and loss against the backdrop of Morocco.

This is an interesting film that I must admit I did have high hopes for. All I heard about this was good with critics praising it pretty roundly. The story itself is pretty thin. It is not exactly linear as it focuses on experiences rather than a straight series of happenings. The effect of this to me was to make the film feel rambling and that it wasn't going anywhere - it certainly felt longer than it's 90 minute run time. The "adventures", for want of a better word, are very interesting and sometimes moving but they do give the impression that the film wants to give the audience a feeling or an experience rather than a story.

Visually the film is beautiful and Morocco is well shot - both breathtaking landscapes and realistic scenes of poverty, but this doesn't make up for the lack of story. Some people may feel that the scenery is enough to watch the film for but not me. The acting is also faultless - Riza and Mullan are excellent as Bea and Lucy, while Winslet is also strong as Julia. The main problem with the story is that it is quite focused on Julia and she is such a selfish, unpleasant character at times that it makes it hard to stay with her all the time. I didn't feel that I could learn anything from her travels and at times I was just amazed that such a spoilt Westerner would just act in such a way as to hurt her daughters either directly or indirectly. The daughters were great characters and were worthy of all the interest and sympathy that the script gives them. But Winslet's character is a major turn-off.

Overall it looks great with great performances. But the lack of a coherent story or message is a bit frustrating and can make it feel a bit aimless.

Details

Country:

UK France

Language:

English French Arabic

Release Date:

13 January 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Hideous Kinky

Filming Locations:

Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$82,431, 18 April 1999

Gross USA:

$1,263,279

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,263,279

Company Credits

Production Co:

AMLF, Arts Council of England, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1