jvdesuit1
I saw the movie twice, in Arabic although being french, born in Egypt I do not speak the language. But the movie so perfectly done, so well played that I had the feeling I could understand all that was said. There is charm, humor, a kind of romantic atmosphere all along the movie. This is a movie in the line of The band's visit,The Yacoubian Building, Caramel, all of them realized between 2006 and 2007 and a must see for any open minded viewer who wishes to understand the middle east culture. And of course from my personal view point I could recognize some of the places I went through as a child. A great movie, a must to see.
hiskih
I watched this film because it is mostly set and partly shot in Egypt, an interesting country. Dancing of any kind does not interest me, I might have fast-forwarded the dancing sequences if it had been a video instead of a TV broadcast. The depiction of Egyptian social norms and customs kept my interest.The film is mildly sympathetic if a bit slow, a bit predictable and much too cute - every problem the idiot heroine creates for herself is solved too easily. There is a disturbing contrast between the realistic backgrounds and absurd plot. The leading actress is just right as the gorgeous American airhead and all the actors are credible as their characters - the problem is that what the characters do is constantly unbelievable. The ending is extremely lame.The most annoying thing in the film is the heroine's gay friend. He is such a cliché, we have seen him do the same things in countless films and TV series. Why couldn't this person be an Egyptian woman instead of a gay man? That would have been much more believable and logical.
phd_travel
Watched this on DVD recently and found a delightful and lovely story. An impulsive struggling dancer from NYC goes to Cairo to chase after a boyfriend and ends up learning belly dancing.Laura Ramsey is pretty and winning. It's a feel good story and provides subtle insights into the cultural and moral differences found in Egyptian society. It's not preachy but quite touching in the way it shows the attitudes of men towards women, divorce etc. It's not a tourist view of Egypt but an insightful looks into the society there. The human relationships are in the forefront in the movie.The actress who plays the former belly dancer star Ismahan is quite lovely.Definitely worth a watch.
bettinakuwait
Although i am partly Arab i rarely watch Arabic films. At the start, Whatever Lola Wants depicts its an Arabic film production and so i got back to my laptop. As it played in my DVD and my daughter watched, and to my utter surprise, in the 10 minutes back and forth between my laptop and the TV screen, i decided TV would win this time. I was so happy to see an exceptionally well made film that had Arab team and crew on board. A great production of the highest standards. A very good cast, colorful characters, several angels of the Arab society shown very tastefully. Really this movie is packed with cultural data, where there are common grounds between west and middle east and where there are divides in peoples minds. It kept my attention all through until the end. And what a beautiful ending. I would watch this movie twice. Thank you to all those involved in making this movie. I will surely recommend to my friends.
AD
