Watch Dough For Free

Wow! Such a good movie.

So much average

Blistering performances.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Nat (Jonathan Pryce) operates a failing family kosher bakery. He takes on immigrant Ayyash Habimana (Jerome Holder) a Muslim from Dafur as an apprentice. Ayyash, in an attempt to help his cleaning mother, sells pot, but needs a real job to show income. As one can guess from a formula script, the two products become mixed with positive results.This was a light drama, light comedy near-family film. Decent portrayals.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

(Flash Review)This movie falls into a unique place as an atypical movie with pot as the main theme while not being a stupid high school comedy. It takes a more mature tone with comedic bits tossed it that don't register more than a half smirk. Basically, an immigrant boy is looking for a 'real' job as he deals drugs on the side. Believe it or not he accidentally spills a bunch of cannabis into one of the batches of dough and it sells like potcakes, whooops…'hotcakes'. Haha The bakery owner has no clue and is loving his increased business. How long will this continue and will anyone find out and unveil the truth. This story is pretty original so it is a shame the movie telegraphs ever move and is highly predicable, especially since it is more drama than goofy comedy. The production value felt like it was TV quality with very bland cinematography. Religion is a main theme as the owner is Jewish and the boy is Muslim and is quite nice how the two respects each other while jabbing each other on certain points. Overall, this could have been stronger if it gave itself a true personality.

Some of the most interesting movies that I've seen focus on food: "Big Night", "Chocolat" and "Chef", to name a few. Now we have "Dough". Part look at Jewish baking, part look at a mixing of cultures, it hits all the right notes. Basically, it reminds us that we're all human, all trying to survive in this modern world. But it's also got some funny stuff and great lines. I've liked Jonathan Pryce in every role where I've seen him, and I hope that newcomer Jerome Holder gets more roles like this one. Definitely worth seeing.Also appearing are Ian Hart (Quirrell in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") and Pauline Collins (the title role in "Shirley Valentine").

This year, the Rochester International Jewish Film Festival made a good-faith effort to screen more comedies. (Apparently, that's what last year's viewers requested.) I admire their effort, but, from my perspective, most of the films simply weren't funny. In fact, the only film that I found truly funny was the French movie, "Serial Bad Weddings." (I'll post a review of that film in a day or two.) The problem--in this context--is that "Serial Bad Weddings" wasn't really a Jewish film. "Dough," which was a Jewish film, wasn't that funny. It's about Nat, a tough old man who is trying to maintain his Jewish bakery, and the young Muslim man from Darfur whom he hires to help him.The film was directed by John Goldschmidt. Jonathan Pryce stars as the baker, and he's a brilliant actor. The rest of the actors were quite good, although the two villains--one a drug dealer and one a businessman--are ridiculous stock characters. They should have been shown with tall black hats, twirling their mustaches. I thought the second best actor in the film was Melanie Freeman, who played Nat's granddaughter, Olivia. Her role was to be bonded to her grandfather, and her job was to be adorable. Adorable child actors can be truly tedious, but not in this case. Freeman really was adorable, and the screen lit up when she was on it.This was a pretty good film. I believe it would have been better without the comic parts. The movie had a point to make about family businesses, traditions, and reaching out to people who need your help. I would have moved forward in those directions, and not have worried about trying to be funny. The director and producer made a choice, which is what directors and producers do. I disagree with that choice, which is what reviewers sometimes do.We saw this film at the Dryden Theatre, as part of the highly praised Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen.