Review of Suzie Gold

Introduction

Ethnic cultural differences are always ripe for humour to those on the outside, and quite possibly cringe worthy and all too familiar to those on the inside. I like the chance to see a slice of life alien to my own because while there are similarities between Indian and a lot of other cultures out there in terms of family tradition and upbringing, there are always more quirky sayings, beliefs and ways of doing things. My Big Fat Greek Wedding held the same expectation for me the first time this came out.

Suzie Gold is a romantic comedy taking a central Jewish character from North London, together with her friends, family and extended family, and dealing with the issues that they (or Suzie) have to face. Having a relationship, getting married, having children, going to the synagogue and all the usual traditional familial routines and rituals. This instantly sounds like a Jewish/British version of runaway hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and it is. So why spend time with the same film in a Jewish skin?

Video

Presented with a clean 2.35:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer, Suzie Gold looks the part of a recent film. Colours, contrast and detail are well balanced and makes the film look like a more expensive production than it is. Grain is kept in check and besides this, there were no signs of compression or other digital defect.

Audio

The film comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack but it`s a bit of a let down. The dialogue track, coming from the centre, doesn`t sound balanced enough, so much so that I had to put the sound up to hear the dialogue, and then the rest of the audio would be too loud. Moreover, there were things that I didn`t hear at all that are subtitled. The surrounds only kick in for ambient sound and work well where there`s music being played. When called for there`s some good LFE action too, which impressed. It`s too bad more attention hasn`t been to the audio.

Features

• Trailer (1:56) - The usual fare.

• TV Spots (0:46) - 2 TV trailers painting a film I clearly didn`t see.

There are clear English subtitles.

Conclusion

I started to watch this film with an audience, until it dwindled down to just me after 18-minutes, and then I gave up and watched something more interesting. I did struggle through it the second time around if only to just get it over and done with. It was an ordeal I wouldn`t wish on anyone though because as you`ve probably guessed by now, the film is dull. It`s devoid of character, it`s devoid of story, it`s lacking spark, imagination and anything else that compels people to sit in one place for 90-minutes. This is the feature debut of Richard Cantor who was also one of the writers. His other credit includes being a writer for that other Jewish creation, The Ali G Show. This would explain Suzie Gold`s younger brother who`s a Jewish teenager who thinks he`s a rapper.

It`s been compared to Bridget Jones`s Diary and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but I think anything that makes comparisons with other popular films tends to disappoint. Bridget Jones`s Diary is something I find funny, painful and neurotic and I thought the film worked well for what it was; entertainment. MBFGW was so-so and offered little, except for one or two characters. Suzie Gold offers me nothing interesting, or anything with a twist on existing pre-conceived ideas on cultural differences and family expectations. The little insights into Jewish rituals feel bolted on and don`t feel part of the central story.

The story has a fair number of Jewish euphemisms and metaphors that went whizzing over my head too as I can`t relate to them. It has clichés that are unfunny, or just plain didn`t make me laugh either. This is a romantic comedy without the comedy and where the romance feels stale. There are things in the story, which don`t make sense too, like Suzie`s boyfriend Darren, just leaving work one day without saying anything, and Suzie not interested in finding out what happened. Little story things like this are a little irksome.

The dialogue and action felt like a complete contrivance too with its over bearing emotional mother, flat and superficial friends, fathers that seem to carry little weight and a lost central character in Suzie herself. If you`re looking for something without charisma, you`ve come to the right place. I did begin to wonder if being all too familiar with exactly the same situations in Indian families had desensitised me in some way, but in the end I decided that Suzie Gold was the problem, not me. Horses for courses? This film has weak characters, weak story and plotting and is populated with unfunny stereotypes; it`s predictable, obvious, and makes no effort to delight or surprise.

Trying to appreciate the film in an entertainment context the film fails miserably. Is there anything redeeming, at all? Not so far as I can see. The video transfer is top notch, the sound could be more balanced and the extras, well there aren`t any worth mentioning again. I`m not entirely sure who this film will appeal to, but I`m sure it has its fans. Suzie Gold tries very hard to please but ultimately compromises what could have been a far more interesting and funny take on Jewish traditionalism.