...of charm and strange: the blog

I have had the biggest crush on Jimi Mistry ever since he starred in The Guru, one of the funniest and most enjoyable movies of 2002. I heart Jimi Mistry. So you can understand why I really wanted to like Touch of Pink, in which he plays the lead role in an ethnic-themed Gay Movie. Did he read my mind?

Unfortunately, as much as I was rooting for this film to be good, it's just...not. In fact, it's kind of a mess. It has a big heart, and some extremely clever and memorable one-liners, but why must so many romantic comedies be built upon people being angry at each other for stupid reasons? What do these characters have against listening to each other, rather than storming off again and again, all in the name of plot contrivances? Well, I guess I answered my own question.

Alim (Mistry) is a young man from a Muslim family from Toronto. He has left the family, however, to live in London with his lover, Giles (Kristen Holden-Reid). Back in Toronto, inspired by the impending wedding of her nephew, Alim's mother, Nura (Suleka Mathew), decides to fly herself to London and convince her son to get married and make her some grandbabies. The problem is, SHE DOESN'T KNOW HE'S GAY! INSERT SITUATION COMEDY HERE! Oy.

Kyle MacLachlan has the thankless role of playing what in the credits is referred to as "The Spirit of Cary Grant," Alim's invisible companion who...well. MacLachlan does a mean Cary Grant impression, and provides some of the biggest laughs in the film ("Only the truly stylish can pull off rumpled delicates!"), but the fantasy element seems out of place here. It doesn't add anything to the story, or Alim's character. Besides, MacLachlan is funny enough to be given his own movie, really. (He reminded me of Tom Baxter from The Purple Rose of Cairo.)

I did enjoy watching Touch of Pink. It's quite funny, and there is nice chemistry between Alim and Giles, and some truly sweet moments between Alim and his mother. And, of course, I was happy to see a gay interracial couple on the big screen, for obvious reasons...

Like I said, I really, really wanted to love this movie. Alim and Nura are well-cast and do their best, and Mathew in particular suggests a level of depth to her character -- especially when telling Alim about life just after the death of her husband -- that is constricted by the simplistic screenplay. I just can't excuse the utter disregard for psychological motivations, and the way people in these movies will take any excuse to walk out on each other just to allow for a montage of them Being Apart And Hating It (but refusing to just talk rationally about it, of course).

The difference between this movie and a really good one is that, just like your average Hollywood romantic comedy, Touch of Pink doesn't realize that characters storming out isn't nearly as interesting as the conversation they would have if they stayed.

In conclusion: I heart Jimi Mistry. If you heart Jimi Mistry too, go see Touch of Pink. Otherwise, you're better off renting Bend It Like Beckham and pretending everyone in it is gay. Or something. I don't know.