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Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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.

The best thing about this movie is the jewel-like character development of each participant. The humour is great and does not deteriorate into slapstick like similar movies. Unlike some reviewers, I found this funny, touching, believable and authentic.Aqib Khan is rebellious and defiant for legitimate reason. His father has gone through life selfishly, always calling his sons 'little bastards'. His transformation is sweet but not syrupy.Om Puri does a great job; this script allows him to be more serious than other roles he has played.Linda Bassett, as always, gives a stellar performance. The Nana Mouskouri look-alike (can't find her name) is priceless.This is a movie that flows well, with no long boring sequences or crazy events. It relies on good writing, acting, photography and direction, as all great movies should.

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

They say good things take time and this belated follow up to the 1999 hit East is East has been over a decade in the coming. Happy to say the wait has been worthwhile and writer Ayub Khan-Din has written a sequel that is every bit as much involving, fun and moving as the original. It's 1976 and Salford chip shop owner's George Khan(Om Puri)'s youngest son Sajid (Aqib Khan)- one of the offspring of his second marriage to feisty white northerner Ella (Linda Basset) is having a tough time at school and becoming a bit of a rebel. Determined to sort the lad out out George whips him off to the home town he himself hasn't been back to in 30 years in rural Pakistan. There he meets a slew of relatives including the Mrs Khan number 1 (Ila Aran) as well as Sajid's brother Maneer (Emil Marwa) who has been unsuccessfully searching for a wife. A series of tragi-comic events follow as Sajid's learns some important life lessons. George meanwhile faces something of an identity crises as he is forced to confront both his past and present. Following up Damian O'Donnel's 1999 original was never going to be an easy task but director produces a follow up that is worthy successor to the original. Performances are excellent across the board with the likes of Nadeem Sawalha, Lesley Nichol, Robert Pugh, Zita Sattar and Raj Bhansali, playing excellent supporting roles. There's a brief but amusing cameo by Jimmi Mistry who reprises his role as Sajid's elder brother Tariq but we don't get to find out what became of his other brothers Saleem, Abdul, Nazir and sister Meenah. Though with Khan-Din talking about a third film in the series hopefully we will get to find out in the next installment. All in all this is an excellent film which takes a light hearted but thought provoking look at themes of family,culture and identity.