---
title: "East Is East"
year: 1999
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/east-is-east"
fi1m_id: "east-is-east"
imdb_id: "tt0166175"
tmdb_id: 10557
wikidata_id: "Q1278073"
fi1m_score: 74
critics_score: 67
critics_reviews: 7
published: "2026-09-14"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:17.691886+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# East Is East (1999)

Directed by Damien O'Donnell · 1h 37m · MPA R · Drama, Comedy

## Identity

East Is East

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/east-is-east
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** east-is-east
- **IMDb ID:** tt0166175
- **TMDB ID:** 10557
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1278073
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166175/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10557, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1278073

**Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 67 from 7 reviews

*In a sentence:* The children have opinions, which their father appears to regard as a clerical error

> Damien O’Donnell’s family comedy is funny, sharply acted and worth an evening, though its handling of domestic violence is uneven. Om Puri and Linda Bassett make the family believable even when the humour grows too broad.

## Synopsis

George Khan (Om Puri) is a Pakistani father trying to preserve his authority over his British-born children in 1970s Manchester. His plans for their marriages bring the family’s competing expectations into conflict. Ella Khan (Linda Bassett) faces George’s demands and the children’s wish to make their own choices. Tariq (Jimi Mistry), Meenah (Archie Panjabi) and Sajid (Jordan Routledge) are among the younger Khans negotiating life in a mixed Pakistani-English household. Family arguments, questions of belonging and the pressure to marry shape a comedy-drama about parents and children who share a home but disagree about how to live.

## Review

*East Is East* is a funny, observant family comedy whose treatment of domestic violence is less assured than its jokes. Damien O’Donnell directs Ayub Khan-Din’s screenplay with an affection for the Khans that survives their arguments, though the film sometimes hurries us back towards laughter before we are ready. George wants to determine how his British-born children live and whom they marry. They have ideas of their own, and the disputes over arranged marriages make those differences impossible to ignore.

Om Puri plays George Khan as a father whose certainty is exhausting for everybody around him. He makes George’s wish to preserve his authority understandable without making obedience seem reasonable. There is humour in the man’s inability to accept that his children have lives beyond his instructions, and Puri does not need to turn him into a fool to find it. He also makes the threat behind those instructions felt. His performance is troubling enough to make some of the broader comedy seem misplaced.

Linda Bassett’s Ella Khan is just as important, especially because she makes holding the family together seem like work. Bassett gives Ella’s patience a limit; it does not look like agreement. We were moved by the strain she brings to the family arguments, because her affection for these people never quite hides how much they ask of her. Jimi Mistry as Tariq and Archie Panjabi as Meenah contribute to the sense that everyone in this family has an opinion.

Khan-Din’s profane dialogue helps enormously. These people can be rude, impatient and funny without stopping to explain what they stand for, and the wrangling over marriages gives their disagreements a practical urgency. The ensemble suggests people who know exactly how to irritate one another and have had plenty of practice. Some of the humour is broad enough to make a point twice. Yet O’Donnell usually trusts the actors to supply the distinctions that a simple account of clashing cultures would miss.

Brian Tufano’s cinematography keeps the actors central, while Tom Conroy’s production design makes the period setting feel inhabited. Neither distracts from the exchanges within the family, which is where the interest lies. Michael Parker’s editing gives those exchanges pace, although the changes from comedy to distress sometimes need more space than the film allows. Deborah Mollison’s music supports the lighter mood, but it cannot make the move back towards comedy feel natural every time.

The violence is the difficulty we cannot laugh away. Putting abuse inside a family comedy can be truthful: affection and fear can exist in the same household, and people still make jokes when they are unhappy. But the return to humour here occasionally feels too eager, as if staying with the hurt would spoil the evening. Puri makes George credible when the tone darkens. The film needs to let the family remain upset without reaching so quickly for another joke.

Family comedies often ask us to accept a difficult father as a lovable nuisance; Puri makes George harder to forgive. That makes the unevenness frustrating, because the actors seem capable of following these arguments wherever they lead. At 97 minutes, the film remains lively and worth the time, particularly for Bassett and Puri. Choose it for the quarrels and the performances, but not if a reassuring family comedy is what the evening requires.

*Fi1m score 74, published 14 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to East Is East, praising its sharp family comedy and its treatment of cultural identity in 1970s Britain. The performances draw the strongest agreement, with Om Puri and Linda Bassett repeatedly singled out for giving the family’s arguments warmth and complexity. The favourable reviews also value the profane, slangy dialogue and characters who feel like people rather than representatives of opposing cultures.

The disagreement centres on how well the comedy accommodates domestic violence and other serious family conflicts, with responses ranging from enthusiastic to firmly negative. Even some favourable reviews find the humour broad or the theatrical roots visible. IndieWire finds the treatment sweet but shallow, while The AV Club argues that the film softens its conflicts into bland reassurance and cannot adequately handle abuse. For these dissenters, the accessible comedy that others enjoy limits how deeply the film can examine its subject.

## Straight answers

**Is East Is East worth watching?**

*East Is East* is worth watching for anyone who wants a sharp, profane family comedy with two fine central performances, and we scored it 74. Om Puri and Linda Bassett make the Khans believable even when the humour grows broad. Skip it if a reassuring family comedy is what the evening needs, because its handling of domestic violence is uneven and sometimes hurries back to the jokes.

**How long is East Is East, and what is it rated?**

*East Is East* runs 1h 37m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and comedy film.

**Where can I watch East Is East in the US?**

*East Is East* is not on any streaming or rental service in the US at the moment. It is available in 17 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is East Is East, and is it suitable for children?**

*East Is East* is a 15 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The dialogue is profane throughout, and the film contains domestic violence within the family that the review found troubling, with Om Puri making the threat behind George's demands felt. Older teenagers may manage it, but the squeamish should know the comedy shares a house with real fear.

**How does East Is East compare to My Beautiful Laundrette?**

*East Is East* is the rowdier and more uneven of the two, a family comedy whose jokes sit uneasily beside its domestic violence, while [*My Beautiful Laundrette*](https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette) is a funnier, more tender romance in which wanting money is as human as wanting love. The Frears film is hampered by crowded subplots, but its tone is the steadier. Choose *East Is East* for the family quarrels and Puri and Bassett; choose the earlier film for the romance.

**What should I watch after East Is East?**

After *East Is East*, try [*My Beautiful Laundrette*](https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette) (1985, Fi1m 85): Another sharp British comedy where family expectations complicate the business of belonging. Then [*Monsoon Wedding*](https://film.one/film/monsoon-wedding) (2001, Fi1m 80): Marriage preparations expose family tensions, with warmth that does not excuse cruelty; and [*The Farewell*](https://film.one/film/the-farewell) (2019, Fi1m 84): Family loyalty produces awkward comedy when nobody agrees what kindness should mean.

### Reviews we read (11)

- **Radio Times**, Lorien Haynes (4/5): The critic says this accessible 1970s culture-clash comedy breaks the mould of more serious British Asian films by being funny, charming and refreshing without taking itself too seriously. Family wrangling over arranged marriages drives an engaging story with strong turns from Om Puri and others. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-u7sanx/east-is-east/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Liese Spencer (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a funny, feelgood crowd-pleaser that tackles Anglo-Asian culture clash with good-natured gusto and avoids issue-drama pitfalls. She singles out the real, nuanced characters created through slangy dialogue and strong performances, especially from Linda Bassett and Om Puri. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/236)
- **Empire**, Simon Braund (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the strong ensemble performances, especially Om Puri as the patriarchal George Khan, and the film's focused exploration of cultural identity in a mixed-race family. Some scenes of domestic violence clash with the comic tone and the material's theatrical roots are evident, but overall it is described as funny, astute and quietly moving. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/east-east-review/)
- **Time Out**, GA (70/100, inferred): The review finds it a very decent debut full of neat insights into 1970s Britain and engagingly profane dialogue. It praises the strong central performance from Om Puri while noting the humour is broader than in similar films. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/east-is-east)
- **IndieWire** (45/100, inferred): The film is sweet but shallow in its treatment of cultural clashes and family dynamics. It fails to delve deeply despite its promising setup. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-east-is-east-is-sweet-and-shallow-81690/)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (40/100, inferred): The film splits the difference between clashing cultural and tonal elements, smoothing them into a bland, feel-good center. It confronts serious issues of abuse but is not equipped to handle them, preferring cutesy comedy over potency. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/east-is-east-1798196251)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kevin Thomas: The affectionate comedy traces culture clash in a mixed Pakistani-English family as the father arranges marriages for his sons. It praises the seamless cinematic adaptation of the play and the nuanced performances that balance humor with emotional depth. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-14-ca-19347-story.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert: The film portrays a Pakistani immigrant father struggling to impose traditional values on his British-born children in 1971 Manchester. It highlights the rich humor in family conflicts and strong performances, especially by Om Puri and Linda Bassett. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/east-is-east-2000)
- **The Guardian**, Derek Malcolm: The critic praises the rip-roaring yet carefully structured adaptation of the play, noting its humor without condescension, warmth without sentimentality, and strong characterizations led by Om Puri and Linda Bassett. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian/0,,50977,00.html)
- **Variety**, Derek Elley: A sprightly, warm and funny ensemble comedy about a traditional Pakistani father losing control over his family in 1970s northern England. It singles out the lively direction, sharp dialogue and big-hearted approach to characters for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/east-is-east-3-1117499769/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the sharp comedy and excellent acting in this portrayal of a multiracial family in 1970s Britain. The film effectively captures the cultural clash between a strict Pakistani father and his English-raised children. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/east-is-east-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Damien O'Donnell
- **Director:** Damien O'Donnell
- **Screenplay:** Ayub Khan-Din
- **Cinematography:** Brian Tufano
- **Editor:** Michael Parker
- **Music:** Deborah Mollison
- **Production design:** Tom Conroy
- **Costume design:** Lorna Marie Mugan
- **Producer:** Leslee Udwin
- **Cast:** Om Puri as George Khan; Linda Bassett as Ella Khan; Ian Aspinall as Nazir Khan; Jimi Mistry as Tariq Khan; Archie Panjabi as Meenah Khan; Jordan Routledge as Sajid Khan; Chris Bisson as Saleem Khan; Lesley Nicol as Auntie Annie
- **Runtime:** 1h 37m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 14 May 1999
- **Genres:** Drama, Comedy
- **Also in:** [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1999)
- **Budget:** $4 million
- **Box office:** $28 million

## Where to watch in the US

Not streaming, renting or buying in the US at the last check.

Also available in: AU, BG, DE, GB, GR, IE, IL, IN, IT, LT, MY, NZ, PH, PT, RO, UA, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 1999: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *My Beautiful Laundrette* (1985), Fi1m 85: Another sharp British comedy where family expectations complicate the business of belonging. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette.md)
- *Bhaji on the Beach* (1993): British Asian women get their own say, with comedy that allows for anger.
- *Monsoon Wedding* (2001), Fi1m 80: Marriage preparations expose family tensions, with warmth that does not excuse cruelty. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/monsoon-wedding.md)
- *The Farewell* (2019), Fi1m 84: Family loyalty produces awkward comedy when nobody agrees what kindness should mean. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-farewell.md)
- *Late Spring* (1949), Fi1m 92: For a quieter, more painful account of parental love and pressure to marry. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/late-spring.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/east-is-east