My Beautiful Laundrette Page #3

Synopsis: Much of the Pakistani Hussein family has settled in London, striving for the riches promised by Thatcherism. Nasser and his right hand man, Salim, have a number of small businesses and they do whatever they need to make money, even if the activities are illegal. As such, Nasser and his immediate family live more than a comfortable lifestyle, and he flaunts his riches whenever he can. Meanwhile, his brother, alcoholic Ali, once a famous journalist in Pakistan, lives in a seedy flat with his son, Omar. Ali's life in London is not as lucrative in part because of his left leaning politics, which does not mesh with the ideals of Thatcherism. To help his brother, Nasser gives Omar a job doing menial labor. But Omar, with bigger plans, talks Nasser into letting him manage Nasser's run down laundrette. Omar seizes what he sees as an opportunity to make the laundrette a success, and employs an old friend, Johnny - who has been most recently running around with a gang of white punks - to help hi
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director(s): Stephen Frears
Production: Orion Classics
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.9
Metacritic:
75
Rotten Tomatoes:
97%
R
Year:
1985
97 min
496 Views


- No. I don't like it.

She's a hot girl.

In my small opinion,

much good can come of f***ing.

Your mouth has become very big lately.

Well?

All right.

Let's all take it easy.

Who is that sitting in the drive?

It's bothering me.

Some friend of yours?

- Zaki, please go and see who it is.

- It's only Johnny.

My friend. He works for me.

No one works without my permission.

Tania, bring him in.

How much good would come of us f***ing,

later tonight?

I know why you put up with them.

'Cause there's so much you want.

You're greedy, like my father.

He's a great man.

Why did you leave him sitting out here?

He's lower class.

He won't come in without being asked.

Unless he's doing a burglary.

My father wants to see you.

- How's Salim today?

- Wearing too much perfume.

Eyelash.

I said to Miss Street,

"I'm the law. I create the world."

Tania, please.

- You like Tania?

- Yeah.

I'll see what I can do.

And now on to business.

I've been to see the laundrette.

You boys will make

a beautiful job of it, I know.

You need nothing more there.

But in exchange...

I want you to do something.

You look like a tough chap.

I've got some bastard tenants

in one of my houses that I cannot get rid of.

No. I don't do nothing rough no more.

I'm not looking for a mass murderer,

you bloody fool.

- What does it involve, please?

- Unscrewing.

Your favorite subject, Salim.

For Christ's sake.

What's this "unscrewing"?

You're getting into

some family business, that's all.

What the hell else is there left for you

in this country now?

Send him to the garage and call Tania.

Ask her to bring some champagne.

We'll drink to Thatcher

and your beautiful laundrette.

- Do they go together?

- Like dal and chapatis.

- To us.

- Cheers.

Timber's coming tomorrow morning.

Getting it cheap.

I've had a vision of how our place can be.

Why don't people like laundrettes?

Because they're like toilets.

This could be a Ritz among laundrettes.

A laundrette as big as the Ritz.

Yes.

Clean it out.

Why are you working for these people?

Pakis?

It's work, that's why.

I want to do some work,

instead of always hanging around.

- What, you're jealous?

- No, I'm angry, Johnny.

I don't like to see one of our blokes

groveling to Pakis.

They came over here to work for us.

That's why we brought them over. Okay?

Don't cut yourself off from your own people.

There's no one else who really wants you.

Everyone has to belong.

I can't ask you in.

You better get back to your father.

I didn't think you'd ever mention him.

He helped me, didn't he,

when I was at school?

Yeah.

And what did you do but hurt him?

I want to forget all of them things.

I passed by the laundrette.

So, you gave them the money to do it up?

Where did they get it from, I wonder?

Government grant. Almost just like us, yaar.

It's your bloody family.

So, like you,

God knows what he does for money.

Come on in.

That joker's a bad influence on Omar,

I'm sure of it.

There's some things between them

I'm looking into.

So they let you out of prison.

Too crowded, was it?

Unscrew.

He's changed the lock.

You better take off the whole door,

in case he changes it again.

He's only a poet with no money.

I ain't hurting nobody, okay?

That door you've just taken off,

hang it back.

Excuse me.

I'm just a poor man. This is my room.

Let's leave it that way!

Thieving Uncle Tom parasite! I will kill you!

Glory of God!

Throw this bugger out!

Filthy, imperialist swine! Working dog!

Enemy of the Third World!

You and your kind, your days are numbered!

Doesn't look too good, does it?

Pakis doing this kind of thing.

Why not?

What would your enemies

have to say about this?

Ain't exactly integration, is it?

I'm a professional businessman,

not a professional Pakistani.

And there is no question of race

in the new enterprise culture.

I'll forward your mail!

Do you like the room?

Omar says you have nowhere to live.

I won't charge.

- Why not?

- You can unscrew.

That's confirmed beautifully.

But can you unblock?

Can you keep this zoo under control?

I wish Salim could see this.

Why?

He's on to us.

Yes, he's just biding his time,

and then he'll get us.

- Moose, make yourself useful.

- You've taken the room at Nasser's place?

Make sure you pay the rent, or you'll

have to chuck yourself out the window.

Moose.

That'll do.

Let's open. The whole world's waiting.

I've invited Nasser to the launch,

and Papa's coming.

- They're not here yet.

- Papa hasn't been out for months.

We can't move till he arrives.

- What time did they say they'd be here?

- An hour ago.

They ain't gonna come.

Follow me.

- Shall I open the champagne?

- Didn't I predict this?

You did, man.

This whole stinking area's on its knees,

begging for clean trousers.

The jewel in the jacks, here,

South London, this place will be.

Jesus Christ.

Do you want to open the place up?

Not till Papa comes, remember?

Your father?

He went out of his way with you...

and with all my friends.

He did, didn't he?

What you on about, man?

About how, years later,

he saw the same boys.

And what were they doing?

What?

Marching.

Marching through Lewisham.

It was bricks and bottles and Union Jacks.

It was "lmmigrants Out," kill us.

People we knew.

And it was you.

He saw you marching,

and you saw his face watching you.

Don't deny it.

We were there when you went past.

Papa hated himself and he hated his job.

He was afraid on the streets for me...

so he took it out on her,

and she couldn't bear it.

Such failure.

Such emptiness.

Come on, hurry up. We're waiting.

There ain't nothing I can say

to make it up to you.

There's only things I can do to show you...

that I am with you.

What a beautiful thing

they've done with it, isn't it?

Oh, God. And with music, too.

It's like a wonderful ship. I'd no idea.

He's a marvel, that boy, I tell you.

- You don't have to tell me.

- But I tell you everything five times.

At least.

Am I a bad man to you?

You are sometimes careless.

Dance with me.

We are learning.

But where are those two buggers?

Johnny did all the physical work on this.

You're fond of that boy.

I want to do something more

to help the other deadbeat children like him.

And you're tired of work.

It's time I became a holy man.

- A sadhu of South London.

- Yes.

But first, we must marry Omar off.

- Sh*t!

- Typical.

What the hell are you doing? Sunbathing?

Asleep, Uncle. We were shagged out.

Where's Papa?

Would you do us the honor, madam?

- Love to.

- Here.

Okay.

We thought we'd do the bloody area

a favor, you know.

Lift up the place a bit.

I can't do that. Here you are.

- Hello, welcome.

- Hello.

Enjoying your wash?

Lovely.

Laundrettes are impossible.

I've got two laundrettes.

Two ulcers, plus piles.

Hello? Angela?

It's me.

- What's your surname?

- Berthoty.

That's it. I know your mother.

I thought Papa

might just make it today, Uncle.

He said he never visits laundrettes.

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Hanif Kureishi

Hanif Kureishi, CBE (born 5 December 1954) is a British playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and novelist of Pakistani and English descent. In 2008, The Times included Kureishi in their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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