Rented BOS this weekend for Naveen viewing.

General plot-like-thingy (since no real plot): Naveen plays Kareem, a mind-boggling beautiful kid in late 70s-early 80s England. His father is cashing in on the fad of Eastern Mysticism, though it's doubtful he believes a word of his own drivel. Father is also boffing a wealthy woman (Eva) bankrolling his pseudo-mysticism. Kareem catches Dad and Eva in the act. Kareem has a huge crush on Charlie, Eva's son. They get high and Kareem beats Charlie off. Dad catches them in the act, leaving them in a standoff -neither can tell on the other.

Kareem's mom is a wet mop. She slops around whining that nobody stays home with her, refusing all invitations to go out. She sketches pictures of her ideal world (Mom and Dad as Adam and Eve, alone and naked). Kareem's brother is practically invisible.

Dad leaves Mom for Eva, which destroys the mop and delights Kareem who thinks being brothers with Charlie will mean they'll be closer. Wrong. Charlie takes off for London to be a Punk idol. Throughout the movie Kareem treats Charlie like a brother (admittedly with incestuous overtones) and Charlie treats Kareem as a servant.

There's a side plot about Dad and Eva gentrifying slum apartments for profit. It makes no sense.

There's another side plot about Kareem's cousin (who he's sleeping with) being forced into marriage with a man she's never met (who turns out to be a very sweet person, despite being fat, ugly, and crippled). Husband actually witnesses Kareem screwing his cousin, and oddly it doesn't interfere with them becoming friends. Kareem is casually cruel to Bubble, but can't help liking him.

Then the plot turns to Kareem's acting career. Let me just say I hate books that are about writer's block and movies that are about actors having a hard time getting good parts. The story revolves around Kareem getting typecast as "ethnic." First he plays Mowgli in an avaunt-garde version of Jungle Book. Then he creates a character based on Bubble (cousin's hubby - after swearing he won't) which is offensively cartoonish (after being told by a black woman that his first characterization is a racial betrayal - why doesn't he tell her to shove it?), and finally is cast on a tv soap about stereotypical Indians in suburban England (do what you know, I guess). Despite a little whining, Kareem never says "I'm an actor, not a Paki actor!"

Pluses:
FFN (underwater) of Naveen, lots of sex scenes with other assorted nakedNaveen.
Theme of narcissism - good contrast between the beautiful and amoral Kareem and the ugly and basically good Bubble.
Did I mention FFN?
Brings up question of cultural identity - is Kareem Indian? English? He's never been to India and doesn't speak the language. His mother is white. But everyone judges him on his skin color either negatively (insert favorite ethnic slur here - they used 'em all) or positively (ooh, you're so exotic! Come to bed) or simply judgementally (cousin and nasty black actress think he's not "black power" political enough)
Bisexuality - Kareem is a narcissist and seeks pleasure anywhere he can find it ("I'll fcuk anyone."). No real judgement on variety of sexual choices.
No tidy resolution or pretense of happily ever after. He's got the job on the soap, which is good money, and Mom and Dad are both on the road to marrying other people.

Minuses:
"My Beautiful Laundrette" and "Sammy and Rose Get Laid" dealt with xenophobia and racism of the early Thatcher years a lot better.
Story line was confusing to the point of incomprehensibility.
Lot of ethnic slurs and offensive language and Kareem never tells anyone to shove it. He also never gets pissed at the women who want to sleep with him because he's "exotic." Ok, as a narcissist I can understand his taking whatever he can get. But it annoyed the heck out me.
Kareem is basically spineless - never tells off anyone who treats him like dirt.(his girlfriends, his stepbrother, directors, girlfriend's father)

Some parts are howlingly funny (Kareem is sexually assualted by a Newfoundland dog) , but most is rather slow-moving and bewildering.

So overall a C. Worth watching for the mind-bogglingly beautiful Naveen, but not worth watchin again.

That sounds like the most bazaar movie ever! How long ago was it made? I would be willing to bet Naveen is not very proud of that one. FFN eh? That alone would be worth suffering through it :o

I rather liked it. I was able to follow the story without any trouble.

I believe it takes place starting in the 1960's and moves forward from there. Karim is a young man without a strong foundation on which to build his self image (is he Indian, black, part white?) and so lets other people around him tell him who to be. He is casual in his relationships and doesn't seem to understand that he is very cruel at times. He is liek a child in that he doesn't think of the consequences of his actions or words and so plows ahead without thought to others feelings.

His cousin doesn't want to marry Bubble, who lied about his deformity, but she does it to please the family. She gets invovled with the revolutionaries who do a lot of protesting and talking about "when the fall comes" and "when the masses rise up" crap I remember listening to and thought they sounded like idiots then. ;) She will not sleep with Bubble so he goes around with prostitutes which upsets his father-in-law who dies in a fit over the whole thing. Bubble is nice if not very bright and virtually useless to the family. He is not happy with Karim sleeping with his wife but since she won't sleep with him he manages to deal with it.

Nobody in this show is a truely admirable person.

We follow Karim as he watches his friends take odd paths in their lives while he doesn't really choose one for himself. It's not that he sought out bi-sexual sex but rather he didn't have the sense of self to make his own decision and so goes along with whatever others want. This is probably the strongest theme in the show.

He finally begins to find himself in acting but still lets other push him around for a time like casting him as an Indian and making him and only him use the ethnic accent. He tries to beg off but the director insists. He does do a partial send-up of Bubble for a show but in th end Bubble likes it and he is very good. He goes to New York for the Soap-opera job.

He is there when friends and family need him although he is ineffectual most of the time. He tries to be a good son to his mother and help his cousin with her "revolt". He helps Charlie (his step brother) through drug addiction, rock stardom to failed star to reinvented punk rocker.

He pretty much tried to make everyone around him happy without actually putting much effort into it. By the end he is showing signs of growing up and developing a personality and an inner strength of his own.

I found it interesting and not very confusing. Maybe cause I lived through much of that time. :D

It was filmed in 1993. That would make Naveen about 23 years old. Skinny kid but soooo cute. ;)

I think Naveen should be incredibly proud of this movie. It's one of my favorite performances from
him in any role he's ever done. While the actual movie is no "My Beautiful Laundrette" which was
totally brilliant, I thought it was a very complex and fascinating mini series. I liked that the people were written like human beings - not good, not bad, but real. He was quite young when he filmed
it and was just as charismatic then as he is now. I liked the journey he took in it.

Hallandoats - the FFN only lasts for millisecond, so don't get your hopes up.

Errol Flynn - oops! - RobinHood56 - good points. I guess I got kinda tired of watching self-absorbed narcissists. I didn't like Sienfeld, either.

Van - A favorite performance? Really? Better than Kip? I adored Kip, and Naveen's performance (even though I disliked the English Patient as a movie). I also think there *were* bad people in SOB, and darned few good ones. Matthew, for example, was a horrible person, as was crying girlfriend (I never understood why Kareem liked her at all). Journey? He went places physically and had experiences, but I had no sense Kareem developed as a person at all.

well, I wrote 'one of my favorite performances.' Kip is another one. Of course Kip is another one,
it was a great role. Naveen is a superb actor, and always layers his performances in many ways.
As for the people in the mini series, I think people do behave in selfish ways, in good ways, in bad ways....in all kinds of ways...and I think that's what makes them interesting. You don't have to like the way a character behaves to enjoy a movie or a play. And I think that when a human being has
experiences (of any kind) it is a journey. I loved the scenes with his father. And I thought they
captured that time .... narcissism running rampant...

I liked BOS......I am in agreement it is not "My Beautiful Launderette", but precious few films are as perfect as that movie.* While its true Karim took many* journeys on the path, and perhaps we DON'T see him gain infinite wisdom as he is on those journeys, I have to believe all that he is seeing & living will in the future, when he is more mature, add up to something.

And if not, then thats life too...some people gain wisdom, some don't

Naveen did a fine job with the role, & I too especially liked the scenes with his Father. Very well played.

Lots of the characters were opportunists & out for themselves, but once again that reminds me of....life

Its* well worth a viewing* & a don't miss if you admire Naveen Andrews