The epicenter is Omar, the son of Pakistani emigrees.
The characters of My Beautiful Laundrette are young, they have nothing to do, they want to do something. Stephen Frears's 1985 film is a testament for a group of confused, irreverent middle to lower class youths of the Thatcher years in London. I think the biggest surprise about this film isn't the gay relationship but the fact that this was nominated for Best Screenplay. Finally, we get a lot of generalized complaints about "this country," and the anti-Pakistani sentiment is revealed, but is this only what the complaints refer to? I shouldn't have to ask this question. With Warnecke's performance, it is almost impossible to tell anything about his character's emotional life because during much of his screen time he has a plastic, "I-smile-just-because" grin, which often belies the events going on around him. No matter the sexuality of the relationship, the audience needs some clue about the characters' objectives. We get no looks of longing or attraction between Omar and Johnny they rather suddenly kiss. Additionally, the gay relationship is not adequately set up. But I can't help noticing that the dialogue is stolid and expository.
Within the context of film history, this film is surely important as a pioneer in discussion homosexuality in a straight-forward, even endorsing, manner. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone other than film historians who care about its influence on 1980's British cinema because it sure ain't enjoyable otherwise. Romances and sexuality issues come out of nowhere and subsequently disappear without even seeming to register on Warnecke's silly grin. And the writing! Nothing is adequately explained other than the point that both Pakistani immigrants and blue collar street toughs perceive themselves to be disadvantaged by each other. Even the opening credits are ineffective novelties, with titles spinning around like they're going down the drain with the rest of the movie. The cinematography, editing, sound and everything else technical sinks to the level of your typical 1980's "B movie". The acting is not impressive - and indeed, the main star (Warnecke) has an impenetrable, silly smile for no reason throughout the film, even when a smile is completely out of synch with what's going on around him. Other than having progressive social messages, there's little that keeps the film from being a complete washout. I have seen this film on several "100 Best Films" lists (well, for sub-genres), but I just don't get it.
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