David & Layla (2005)

not horrible nor great

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I really loved this film! I was absolutely stunning, visually. After watching the trailer, I thought that I had the whole film figured out, but it was so much more than what was seen in the trailer. I always find it really interesting in films to see families interacting, especially families from different cultures. This movie did a wonderful job of showing this. What was even more interesting was the relationship between David and Layla. They come from two very different cultures and are two very different people, but it really worked. The chemistry was wonderful, and the relationship was really believable. I would definitely recommend this movie! If anyone wants to see more about it, there are clips and a trailer at youtube.

I find the Jewish and Kurdish culture so fascinating. They are both have given so much to the world. I've always been baffled that the story of Kurdish struggle and all the massacre and the horrific things that have happened to these people has continued to be marginalized. I applaud Jay Jonroy for going against the current to write, direct, and produce a movie that raises awareness, educates and yet manages to make the audience laugh and cry! The movie is entertaining and more importantly is based on a true story that not only shows that love is more powerful than any prejudice or misconception we have about each other, but also shows that there is more that units us than divides us. You walk out of the theater curious to learn more and that's the greatest accomplishment of Jonroy which is motivate people to think, be curious, and seek the truth! Bravo to the cast and crew of the film!

This was the first time in my life that I left the theater before the end of the movie. I just couldn't bear it. You can watch a bad movie and enjoy it for the sake of badness. This was not one of them. This was truly bad, in the sense that it wasn't watchable.This movie is supposed to be, and advertised as, culturally aware and actually promote diversity awareness. On the contrary, its political standing is completely based on stereotypes, superficial knowledge about Middle Eastern cultures, and normalization of hate speech and sexual abuse.There are a lot of offensive and hateful comments about different cultures and identities and these are shown as normal or funny. For example, David makes an offensive comment that stereotypes Muslims ("Have you seen a peaceful Muslim?"), and gets away with it. When Layla asks for explanation, he just ignores and does not try to defend his position; he does not apologize either. The relationship between the main characters is also strange. In their first date, David is drunk and it is clear that his attitude toward the female character would be legally considered as sexual harassment. However, this is presented as romantic and Layla is shown to enjoy it. Moreover, I did not understand why the Kurdish girl is required to "speak English very well" (and this is explicitly mentioned in the movie) to deserve to be loved by an American man.It is an amateur movie in terms of cinematography and acting, and this makes the lack of depth in the intellectual content even more unbearable. The sex jokes are so immature that they are tasteless, if not offensive.

When I was watching David & Layla I felt some how different and wanted to follow the film from beginning to the end of the film and I said to myself happily Kurdish film has progressed, I would congratulate Mr. Jala Jonroy for the successful work he had made I wish all other Directors would look at your style of work and they have your courage as you did to bring new style to the Kurdish film, well done and all the best with your next film...A little note for Mr Jalal, Next time try to bring a Kurdish women to act in your film, although it is a bit risky still that's would empower women in greater way in acting and improve audience to watch Kurdish women in different rolls, and that's what we need to bring new ways in every aspect in our lives. I would love to see other fellow would break the tradition as Mr Jalal did, once again well done, because by breaking the norm and tradition we can progress and go forward instead of copying the same rutting.I have one wish, I wish someone would do documentary or a film about a women who migrate from Eastern country to Western country but can not practise the same ways of lives as any European women, because of the tradition and the custom she has to follow, if she doesn't she would be killed or called a nasty name.Thanks to all.A Kurdish women from London (UK)D N