By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Ian Iqbal Rashid
Starring: Brian George | Jimi Mistry | Kris Holden-Ried | Kyle MacLachlan | Suleka Mathew | Veena Sood
Country: canada, united_kingdom
Year: 2004
Running time: 91
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326977/combined
Bruce says: “You were born in Kenya but all your ancestors were from India. You were raised in Canada and now you live away from your family in London. Who can you turn to? Cary Grant, of course. Alim (Jimi Mistry) has invented a muse all his own, one drawn from his past since it was his mother who first introduced him to film by taking him to movies when he was a child in Mombassa. While his mother wanted to be Doris Day, Alim identified with Cary Grant. So Cary’s ghost (Kyle MacLachlan) follows Alim around giving him questionable advice and making amusing, sometimes hilarious observations about the various predicaments in which Alim finds himself.
“Two quite different parties kick off the tone of the film. In London, Delia has planned a surprise anniversary party for her brother Giles and Alim. Giles is thrilled and Alim is uptight saying that he wished someone had told him about the surprise in advance. Giles parents start prying as to whether the anniversary marks when they first met or first had sex. Alim becomes even more uncomfortable. He is still in the closet to his Muslim family and cannot relate to the openness. Meanwhile, in Toronto, Dolly (Veena Sood) is gloating over her son’s engagement party. Her sister Nura (Sue Mathew) is not so ebullient since her son Alim lives in London and she rarely sees him. On the spur of the moment Nura decides it is time to get on a plane a pay her son a visit.
“Anticipating the worst, Alim carefully rearranges the apartment to remove any trace of homosexuality. The guest room becomes Giles room where his mother will be sleeping. Telltale items such as clothing, photos and books are repositioned or put away. Nura arrives and is a total nightmare, a caricature of an ethnic mother. She instantly dislikes Giles and wants to meet the special girl in Alim’s life. Alim tries to fake an engagement to Delia but he can’t carry it off. Just as Giles eventually wins Nura over, Alim tries to tell her he is gay. Nura ruches back to Toronto hurt and angry. To smooth things over, Alim goes to Toronto to make peace with the family. Of course he doesn’t travel alone; Cary Grant is right there on the plane with him. Shortly thereafter, more than one cat comes out of the bag.
“Nura confesses that she wanted to be like the girls in the films she and Alim saw together; in fact, Nura went to London to secretarial school so she could become Doris Day. She tells her son, ‘Those movies you watch have led you down the wrong path.’ Nura feels she has the right to say such things. While he is brown on the outside, those films have made Alim white on the inside. She realized at an early age the world wasn’t ready for an Indian Doris Day. But there is more to their film history than that. Alim’s exposure to film at an early age shaped the course of his life. He is a now a cinematographer.
“Does it matter that a film such as TOUCH OF PINK is derivative? The guardian angel concept has been used before by Woody Allen in PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM. Taking lines from classic films to poke fun at events in another decade is old hat, too. And the ethnic parents’ overwhelming desire to see their children married and affluent is hackneyed beyond belief, not to mention the gays in the closet scenario that triggers many laughs with the double entendres and mistaken realities. If plot alone were key we’d all have tired of many genres long ago – thrillers, caper films, police procedurals, stories of substance abuse, and boy meets girl to name a few. There are many aspects other than plot which make a film enjoyable. At times TOUCH OF PINK is very clever; some of the acting is good; it is well paced and looks good despite an obviously constrained budget. Kyle MacLachlan is a very good Cary Grant, posing and posturing, but it’s his speaking voice that is just perfect, spine-chilling in fact. And Sue Mathew is quite engaging as she slowly reveals Nura’s inner self.
“What a delightful romp this film turned out to be. I laughed aloud many times and genuinely liked the characters. I wasn’t afraid
to have a good time. 3.5 cats”
Hilary says: “Poor Jimi Mistry can’t find a decent film role or haircut. As I said in my review of THE GURU, also starring Mistry, if only someone would direct a full Bollywood remake of GREASE. Mistry would be perfect for the Danny Zuko role. In the meantime I guess he’ll be languishing in painful ethnic dramadies, such as TOUCH OF PINK.
“PINK will seem immediately familiar as it recycles plots and characters from a host of earlier flicks, borrowing from THE WEDDING BANQUET, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, MONSOON WEDDING, and a dash of MY
BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE, just for starters.
“Thank heavens (ha!) for the spirit of Cary Grant, played by Kyle MacLachlan. MacLachlan inhabits Grant’s rakish charm and style, decked out in ascots and other snazzy attire. The real love story here is not between Alim (Mistry) and his partner, Giles (Kristen Holden-Reid), but between Cary and ‘his little samosa’ Alim. I was saddened when Cary had to go, leaving the viewer with Alim and Giles in their largely unconvincing affection for one another.
“Four cats for MacLachlan.”