Even if you didn't know everything points out to the previous "entry" that was called East is east. So they thought they'd make another movie with immigration and other problems crammed into one movie. Actually the movie has really high ambitions trying to light even the grayest of areas and everything that surrounds it.Unfortunately though the ambitions might have been to high to reach. It's not a bad movie by any means, but trying to juggle all the threads of the story proves to be more than difficult. It does seem to stir away from time to time instead of focusing on certain problems. Which in itself wouldn't be a bad thing, but again it doesn't have total control of everything that goes on, which might leave you with an unsatisfying feeling.

I had seen the earlier film, East is East, though I didn't remember it till I visited this site. So I enjoyed this picture all on its own.And it stands on its own quite well. I found it well written, well acted and a fascinating look into traditional Pakistani culture. Lately all one hears of Pakistan is war and conflict. So it was a real pleasure to see the people through their own eyes.I thought the acting was superlative especially the Mr. Khan and his wives, though young Sajid does an excellent job and has much to do in the movie.I thought it was terrific. I liked that a message in it is that in matters of the heart we are all pretty much the same. Outstanding

The main reason why 'West is West' hasn't had the reception it wanted is that the point was already made with 'East is East'. 'East' struck a chord with British Muslims and others ethnically Indian. It was an affront to all the dads who came to Britain in the post-war decades and thought they could have their chapatti and eat it too. It championed individualism and mocked religion and tradition as obstacles to it.This sequel is five years on from 'East' and focuses on the youngest child, Sajid who, when we first met him, always wore an anorak and tried, vainly, to avoid 'the snip'. His dad Jehangir (or George as he re-Christened himself) sees in Sajid his last opportunity to convert one of his kid's from Salford lad to Pakistani Prince. George takes Sajid to Pakistan under the pretence that it will mature him; though his actual motivation is to carry out a forced marriage. Sajid resents this – he is English after all – and fights to escape. Of all his kids, George was only able to wield influence over one – Manir, a role reprised by Emil Marwa (doesn't he look like Dirk Bogarde?). We find him already living in Pakistan, desperately trying to find a wife. Although he clearly will not pursue the same path, Sajid assists his brother by finding him a suitable spouse. I was bothered by some of the supporting cast. They were histrionic and inauthentic. Part of Sajid's appeal in the first film (a different actor plays him here) was that he seldom spoke. He opens his gob way too much this time around, invariably to tell some innocent to 'f- off', which is precisely what I wanted him to do.George is again played without irony by Om Puri. He still refers to his kids as 'bloody bastards', and he still doesn't see the rank hypocrisy of marrying a non-Muslim whilst insisting his kids abide by a strict Muslim way of life. Where it loses humour it finds heart. That's its downfall. We see George's first wife – the one he left 30 years ago to marry Linda Bassett's character, Ella. She castigates but then too quickly forgives him for leaving her and their kids. It smacked of Bollywood and that put me right off.www.scottishreview.net

The plot of West is West is the cinematic equivalent of a car ride – it drives quickly (to Pakistan), runs out of petrol upon reaching its number one destination, and then the characters refill it for the rest of the journey. In other terms – the film picks up pace very quickly at the start, almost as if deliberately rushing Sajid off to Pakistan. When at Pakistan, it's about 15-20 minutes into the film and an hour and a half remains so the whole plot (which is primarily Sajid's issue in England that apparently will be fixed by his father's tyrannical insistence of adapting to the environment in the Punjab) has to be stretched over that time. That is when it begins to lack the lustre it began with as it moves a lot slower than the time in England. Then the characters and a subplot of the brother Maneer in an engagement/marriage situation uplift the film mightily and the overall result is positive.It's a positive result but not the best. There are blemishes in the camel coloured land. Obviously not literal ones (in the sense of blemishes on appearances) which are visible to the naked eye because the location choice is brilliant; Pakistan is recreated in a realistic landscape even though it is reported that it was filmed in India. The faults of the film can be detected when observing the pace of the film. One was, like stated in the second paragraph, the pace of the plot when the family reach Pakistan. Another was Sajid. Newcomer Aqib Khan is a great substitute for Jordan Routledge as the runt of the Khan litter. But he is infected with a flaw that is his abrupt shifting between scenes. For example, we first see him heavily insult the character Zaid and mere seconds later we see him listening to his command of following him as if they have bonded as friends instantaneously. And the third was the editing decisions. The film strikes a good balance between emotion and humour but it's erratic. One – the cross cutting between Sajid and George alters between funny and serious. Two – there's a pivotal scene where both Mrs Khan's are involved in a conversation that turn their relations from heated to cordial, but it's one of the best scenes in the film.They are the main negatives of the film, as a standalone, that come into mind. Yes, it can be classed as a standalone – it isn't necessary to have seen East is East in order to grasp the story because the past events aren't recapped or looked at again but having seen East is East will enlighten the experience and an understanding of the marriage theme and the characters from that film will be on hand. West is West has a completely different story that arguably qualifies it as a standalone. It's accepted as a sequel as a bonus because of some of the recurring characters, screenwriter, and producer that were BAFTA nominated and therefore made their names in the British film industry for East is East and hence reprised their roles in West in West to create something of that great standard.West is West unfortunately isn't of the great standard set eleven years ago but that doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyable film. Whilst East is East is the more lively film, West is West is the one carried a lot more sentimentally. Despite his quick mood changes, Aqib Khan is terrific as Sajid. The classic one-liners – "Not old enough to get married so don't ask!" – have been upgraded to ones that would just be of a teenage kid's and are nailed by Khan such as "You can f*ck off and all, Mowgli!" By saying that they're of a teenage kid's, expect heavy use of swearing and not just from Sajid. The rest of the cast is brilliant, especially Om Puri as the seriously funny (oxymoron intended) George Khan. Unlike in East is East, his character develops throughout the film culminating in someone who could look back and notice a great change in himself. There is also a definite development in Sajid as he steadily learns to adapt to the Pakistani culture. The themes of the film are excellent. This time, it isn't just about marriage – it also has the themes of culture. West is West tells a story that demonstrates how we should be tolerant to the environment in the sense that we live in a multi-cultural society. People from different cultures live together and if not deeply, we should at least broadly learn to appreciate our cultural differences. An underlying theme of the film is respect – how we should respect the other cultures and people, on the whole. The dominant reason for Sajid being sent to Pakistan is to learn to respect his progenitor. Whilst it won't have the same replay value nor be as big of a word-of-mouth hit as East is East, West is West has very enjoyable content on offer that might not fulfil the expectations of those willing for it to raise the bar that East is East set for future films of the same kind, but can satisfy an audience and leave the impression of it being a good film if not great. With a heart and sheer amusement, it's certainly not a sequel flop.Verdict: "The original is always better" has become a common remark in the film industry when comparing a sequel or a remake. In this case, that is true but as a fresh film, West is West is a delight to watch. And because the original is always better, don't go in to see something on par or criticise because of the inferiority. Think of the overall film as the cinematic equivalent of a baby – it has roots but it's something new.