My Beautiful Laundrette
(1985)
Rusty: Below are links to reviews and further info from selected film sites. Links surrounded by a solid border lead directly to a page about this movie on that site. Links surrounded by a dashed border lead to a Google search for this exact movie title on that site. You may find it more efficient to open these links in separate browser tabs. Click Show More / All / Default to see more available links or return to the standard default selection. More (or fewer) choices of links can be selected via Options, and you can save your personal defaults (requires login).
My Beautiful Laundrette is a 1985 British comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. The film was also one of the first films released by Working Title Films. The story is set in London during the contemporary Thatcher era, as reflected in the complex—and often comical—relationships between members of the Asian and White communities. The story focuses on Omar, a young Pakistani man living in London, and his reunion and eventual romance with his old friend, a street punk named Johnny. The two become the caretakers and business managers of a launderette originally owned by Omar's uncle Nasser. The plot addresses several polemical issues of the time, including homosexuality and racism, depicted within the social and economic climate of Thatcherism.