Dir.
Richard Cantor, UK, 2004, 93 mins
Cast:
Summer Pheonix, Iddo Goldberg, Leo Gregory, Rebecca Front, Francis Barber, Gwyneth Strong
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young Jewish woman must be in need of a husband according to the parents of Suzie Gold, a likeable spoilt little rich kid (Phoenix) in this new British comedy. Based around the loves and lives of a tight-knit Jewish family in modern day North London, Suzie Gold is a light and entertaining Jewish version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding that tackles similar issues of belonging, family ties and tradition.
Suzie, despite her good looks, flash car and material wealth starts to feel left on the shelf when her younger and plainer sister announces her forthcoming wedding. There only seems to be one option, the handsome but cringeworthingly smooth Anthony Silver (played to perfection by Goldberg) who just happens to have had a lifelong crush on our heroine. However, Suzie becomes far more keen on a new and, shock horror, non Jewish boy Darren (talented newcomer Leo Gregory) whom she meets at work. She knows her parents and indeed her whole family won't approve, but has to decide between sticking with tradition or following her heart.
With some fantastic set pieces (including an hilarious yoga class and her sister's traditional wedding) and a nifty line in direction, Suzie Gold is good old-fashioned light entertainment with a modern twist. It seems a shame then that for a film with such great dialogue, strong (if a little staid) plot and great visuals, that the writers resorted to stereotype for some of the characters. Barbara, Suzie's mother (a shrill and shrieking Rebecca Front), has hair like a bouffanted Barbara Bush along with a perma-tan to match and as for poor Frances Barber, one of the UK's most reliable actresses, she's stuck in a leopard skin coat with black drawn-on eyebrows and more lip gloss than Pamela Anderson. There must be more women like this out there in the real world, but when the main crux of the film focuses on Suzie's choice between ending up like these two or like Claire, Darren's chilled out hippy mother (Strong) and the only other real option we are offered, it's not hard to see what direction the ending is going to take.
What is harder to swallow is the fact that virtually all the female characters seem be utterly dependent on the frequently off-screen male. Suzie is wooed by Darren and would happily, we are led to believe, continue to see him behind her own family's back without ever feeling the need to resolve the situation. Their relationship, started by him, is also called off by him. Even Suzie's grandmother talks to the ghost of her dead husband (unseen by everyone except herself) and Suzie's own decision to reject Anthony Silver is accepted by her parents only because her father leads the way. Perhaps the intention of this was to indicate that Suzie is breaking out of this restrictive way of life by choosing Darren over Anthony, but is it not possible that she can have both a relationship outside of her religion whilst also remaining faithful to her beliefs? The film leaves us with Suzie and Darren reunited but doesn't attempt to resolve the wider issues that it questions. Suzie's parents mistake Darren for their plumber and both her extended family and friends are portrayed as being against mixed relationships. This means that the happy ending rings slightly hollow and leaves us with little real sense of what direction the couple's relationship will go in.
In fairness, there are always problems with tackling serious issues in a comedy storyline and Suzie Gold is no exception. Despite this, it is a well-made and beautifully filmed feel-good movie with a lot of originality and spark and Ric Cantor, making his debut in feature films, is certainly one to watch. Summer Phoenix does a good English accent and is a likeable presence with a light touch, it will be interesting to see whether she continues to stay in the indie film world or move into more mainstream fare. Leo Gregory and Iddo Goldberg are outstanding with Gregory's gruff London accent and slight swagger belying the softer side of Darren's character. Goldberg smarms for England whilst delivering Anthony's lines with such sweet insincerity that he is the source of most of the laugh out loud moments in the film. Sad then that Suzie Gold is only getting a limited release. For all its faults, it knocks spots off My Big Fat Greek Wedding and easily deserves a wider release than is currently planned.
Elizabeth Hyder
|
