--- title: "My Beautiful Laundrette: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 10 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." --- # My Beautiful Laundrette (1985): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 10 reviews: 10 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The consensus is firmly positive, with praise clustering around the performances and the film’s handling of race, class, sexuality and ambition in Thatcher-era Britain. Daniel Day-Lewis receives repeated attention, while Saeed Jaffrey and Gordon Warnecke also earn praise for keeping the characters human amid the satire. The reviews value Kureishi’s script for approaching politics through personal relationships rather than speeches. Frears’ direction is admired for its vitality and for allowing tenderness, resentment and comedy to coexist. The differences concern emphasis more than verdict: some critics stress the romance’s sensuality, others the sharpness of the social comedy. Reservations are limited but specific, with The AV Club finding the narrative ungainly, the dialogue unnatural and the subplots overstuffed, despite admiring Day-Lewis. The spread remains broadly favourable; even the more qualified responses praise the acting and the vivid portrait of London’s Pakistani community. ## Radio Times — Sue Heal Rating 5/5. This seminal 1980s movie is celebrated for launching major careers and cleverly turning Thatcherite values on their head without polemic, thanks to marvellous performances and its importance in British cinema. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-05g6a7/my-beautiful-laundrette/) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 1986. The film is a startlingly fresh, sensual portrait of South London life among Pakistani immigrants and resentful white youths, defined by a tender yet fraught gay romance. Frears and Kureishi capture the texture of the milieu with instinctive visual and rhythmic flair. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1986/03/10/yes-yes-4) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 1986. Kureishi’s audacious script mixes race, class, sexuality, and politics into an irresistible satirical romance set among London’s Pakistani community. Frears directs with vitality and casts superbly, letting the film’s crisscrossing relationships and performances reverberate. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-13-ca-19855-story.html) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 1986. This rude, wise social comedy about Pakistani immigrants in London is the year's first real sleeper, full of vivid characters and eccentric energy. It succeeds through its personal, unforced take on race, class, and ambition in contemporary Britain. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/07/movies/screen-laundrette-social-comedy-sleeper.html) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a somber and complex take on cross-cultural romance and British racism in 1980s London, praising its superb acting by Daniel Day-Lewis and Saeed Jaffrey along with skillful direction by Frears. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/beautiful-laundrette-review/) ## Time Out — RR Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 January 2015. The critic highlights the film's dual focus on London's Asian community and a gay love story, praising Daniel Day-Lewis's luminous performance and the compassionate, cutting vision of what it means to be Asian and British in Thatcher's Britain. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/my-beautiful-laundrette) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1984. Festival review. The film is a very good script brought to life by Frears, focusing on two youths navigating race, class, and a budding romance while turning a rundown laundrette into a flashy business. It features interesting characters and fine performances amid Thatcher-era tensions. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1984/film/reviews/my-beautiful-laundrette-1200426517/) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating B. 22 July 2015. The critic notes the film's fresh portrait of London’s Pakistani community and praises Daniel Day-Lewis's charismatic performance, while complaining about the ungainly narrative, unnatural dialogue, and overstuffed subplots. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-young-daniel-day-lewis-is-one-of-many-pleasures-in-my-1798184495) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 11 April 1986. The film offers a vivid, unsentimental look at Pakistani immigrants and working-class whites in Thatcher-era London, centered on an unlikely romance and entrepreneurial scheme. It stands out for its sharp performances, especially Daniel Day-Lewis, and its insight into modern Britain without forcing a message. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/my-beautiful-laundrette-1986) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson 31 May 2003. The critic calls the film every bit the landmark gay film it deserves to be, praising its raw sensual realism in portraying homosexuality alongside buoyant fantasy elements and Frears' exploratory direction with flamboyant crane shots. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/my-beautiful-laundrette/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 June 2009. The film remains highly watchable today as a tender love story and biting comedy that questions Thatcherite values without undermining its characters' ambitions. It features finely judged performances, especially from Gordon Warnecke as Omar and Saeed Jaffrey as Nasser, that keep the story from descending into soap opera. [Read the review](https://eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/my-beautiful-laundrette-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette.md