Directed by Stephen Frears and written by Hanif Kureishi, an ambitious Pakistani Briton and his white boyfriend strive for success and hope when they open a glamorous laundromat. Starring: Gordon Warnecke, Daniel Day-Lewis, Roshan Seth, Saeed Jaffrey, Derrick Branche, Rita Wolf, Souad Faress and Shirley Anne Field.
It’s easy to imagine how simple it could have been to fill my My Beautiful Laundrette with the raging racism and homophobia of the time, to portray those struggles in a very forthright, transparent manner but Stephen Frears and Hanif Kureishi chose instead to explore this story in an understated, graceful way. It still becomes a time capsule of the atmosphere of Britain at the time, with all of its prejudices, but does so while holding onto a youthful, romantically tinged energy.
Granted, the romantic element of it is perhaps more downplayed than some people would like, it can feel sporadic but considering My Beautiful Laundrette was made in the early 1980s, it’s not hard to see how it was already pushing boundaries, and to get the film to screens, there was always going to be certain lines to walk. Although, those choices and the way that the romance is presented, may make it difficult for some viewers to connect with. Especially as this is a very niche story to begin with but realistically, the majority of this story is to be found between the lines, not just in the plot.
Frears creates an unusual balance of a cheery, almost cheesy youth and a strong disillusionment with the state of Britain. Another reason why it might not hit with every viewer, but if you’re willing to dig a little and see the underlying trauma and emotional issues, it has plenty to offer. Not least of which because of the great performances from Gordon Warnecke and Daniel Day-Lewis, an intentionally unlikely duo and yet utterly charming.
The way that Warnecke gives Omar such a positive, motivated outlook in the face of so many obstacles is almost unhinged, in a con-man kind of way, and it’s fun to watch. While Day-Lewis’s Johnny is more down to earth and aware of the world’s shortcomings, and yet he keeps his cheeky, warm edge. His character can perhaps feel a little paint-by-numbers, but Day-Lewis makes it work and clearly proved his skill in one of his earliest films.
My Beautiful Laundrette is a bit of an odd duck, it has a strange sense of humour, an unusual atmosphere and delights in underplaying its hand while holding onto optimism. Presenting it as simply a queer romance would probably confuse some audiences when they finally see it, as while that’s a key part to the story, it’s only one piece of a larger puzzle tackling Britain in the 1980s.
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