This is surprisingly the one of the worst movie I've watched in last six months. Surprise ,cos IMDb point is 7.5,Omer Sharif is on cast.I thought Turkish Muslim supermarket owner Ibrahim is pedophilia...but no he is so good man that he gives Jewish guy to read Koran.This movie stinks of religious propaganda and surprisingly is a French film.I think movie made to sell Islamic countries.Anyway stupidity not only what they try to em- pose ,film itself consist of many illogical things like Ibrahim shuts dawn his shop to take the boy to Turkey with a tiny car from France to Turkey.Actually he buys this car for him.He catches him stealing but not acts etc.It is total time wasting to watch this movie.

Francois Dupeyron has directed a masterpiece in cinematic excellence. Don't miss this very compelling drama. "Monsieur Ibrahim" has a performance by Omar Sharif that extends his dramatic displays far better than any since "Dr. Zhivago". His costar is Pierre Boulanger who plays Moses also called Momo in the film. Moses is only 16 and is being raised by his depressed Jewish father who reprimands Momo constantly. Momo or Moses becomes enamored by the proprietor of the neighborhood grocery across the street. He is also enamored by the young street walkers in the same location on Blue Road. The first encounter is with Anne Suarez who plays Sylvie the young, blond prostitute who initiates him into her world. His most interesting relationship is with Monsieur Ibrahim who persistently repeats the importance of the Koran in his own life. The eventual adoption of Momo, and their adventurous trip to Turkey is as beautiful a story as one can imagine. Be sure to add this one to your must see list.

In the first scene of the film, 12-year-old Moïse walks down the hot backstreets of Paris on Rue Bleue, summer sizzling in the background, and loses his virginity to a pretty prostitute. The same-titled novel by François Dupeyron opens also on this bold note, setting the blunt no-nonsense tone and approach for the story. It explores the friendship between young Moïse and old Monsieur Ibrahim "the Arab on the corner" and unlike the majority of French cinema, it makes no pretense about it. It is merely a gentle look at how two people cultivate an unlikely father-and-son relationship.Because Moïse is a Jew and Monsieur Ibrahim (Omar Shariff) is a Muslim, the film pins cultural contrasts and issues of tolerance somewhere in between them, juxtaposing their different personalities through the use of insightful dialogue (the observation about trashcans in different districts comes to mind). Yet for a film primarily about beliefs and outlooks, it never preaches or falls prey to moral messages, which is endlessly refreshing. It does, however, feature a lot of religious undertones throughout and by the time Ibrahim starts teaching Moïse about the Coran, you know the film is about to take a standpoint.Omar Shariff allegedly came back from retirement to do this low-key film and his dedication to the content shines through in his wonderfully charismatic performance; he is a Morgan Freeman buddy type character and he manages this good-natured persona with effortless conviction. Pierre Boulanger who plays the young boy Moïse is certainly less convincing – not quite capturing the inherent loneliness or idealism of his character that explain why he seeks out prostitutes or befriends the "local Arab". Thankfully, Shariff more than makes up for the latter's lack of skill by being the propelling force behind their dynamic friendship.Although Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran is largely a character-driven little film, its style and cinematography are elegantly expressed – clear-eyed and blunt at the same time as it manages to convey the dreamy steamy atmosphere of a hot summer day in Paris. Upon shifting to Middle Eastern setting, it features gorgeously striking dusty plains and mountains. A device for the dreamy tone is the consistent use of a particular 1960's song (the film takes place during the 1960's) which invests the whole film in an almost lyrical flow.There is little wrong with the film and I greatly appreciate the direct approach to story (only a few introspective moments), but it is so low-key that it becomes forgettable. It does not claim to be important, and therefore isn't. It isn't a memorable product and it does not always manage touching, which renders it unremarkable. 7 out 10

Great movie, but the big question here is: Is it legal to involve the kid protagonist in a relatively sexually explicit scene with Anne Suarez ?.. In Exorcist, there was a body double for Linda Blair in her explicit scenes, but there is no such thing here. As regards the movie, I feel it is the same tune of Zorpa the Greek played in another form. Being Muslim, I think the script writer knows nothing about Quran and Islam. Omar Sheriff talks more like a Buddhist monk than a Muslim Sheikh. However, such errors don't deny the great beauty and the great tolerance message delivered by the movie. It gives U enough time to think and meditate.