Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

gee-15 I enjoyed this film despite the fact that it doesn't explore new ground and the ending was too abrupt and "neat" given what had transpired before. The plot was a little weak but what worked was the actors and the relationships established particularly between the characters of Sabah and Steven. The actors had nice chemistry and were convincing in their roles.However, upon reflection, I think the best scene is the penultimate one between Sabah and her brother. Their argument seemed very real. They were two people who loved each other but were extremely frustrated with one another. Neither one is able to completely see the other's point of view. As they argue, they both talk on top of each other each bringing up past events that are neither completely true or completely false. And finally, as Sabah walks away for what may be the last time, her brother reveals a truth about their family's situation AND at the same time demonstrates his true motivation for being so intolerant of her relationship: an overwhelming sense that, in the end, he has failed his deceased father and his family. With that admission, he and his sister can move on to create a better situation for all concerned. Great writing and acting! (My favorite quote from the movie? When Sabah's mother sneaks out to visit Sabah's boyfriend at his carpenter shop. Her first words upon entering: "What's with all the crosses?")

Rihab Sawah I don't LOVE many movies, but this one I DO LOVE! The story offers us an opportunity to get in touch with the very human part of who we are. Love is one of those few languages we all speak around the globe and there could never be boundaries to confine it, even the boundaries set by the training of a traditional religious family.I am an Arab who grew up in a traditional Muslim family in Damascus, Syria and have a somewhat similar story to that of Sabah, as I married a non-Arab, white with blue eyes, American man. I find stories like this refreshing as they go against every stereotype that boxed-minded people have about Arabs and Muslims. It is a story that does not fit into any mold, and forces the viewer to review their position and inner attitudes about another religion or culture.This movie is powerful in a sense that it stands in the face of all western propaganda regarding Arabs, and paints Arabs for who they really are: human beings who live in every day life, fall in love, have joys and sorrows, and in their hearts are very generous and compassionate people.

Ryu_Darkwood I have a hard time judging this movie. I must admit that it's a nice, light-hearted comedy that tries to break down nasty stereo types and humanizes our Muslim brothers. But on the other hand the movie is full off strange contradictions. Take the character Sabah, for example. She chooses to wear a hi jab but does things that are completely in opposite with that choice, like drinking wine, having pre marital sex, kissing on the street with a man, etc. That just didn't feel right. It's as if the Islam is just a small layer that has to be conquered to live a free life, and that it is a good thing to drop your own religious morals and values.I know some young, independent and intellectual women that made the choice to wear a hi jab while still respecting it's meaning. They aren't forced by evil brothers ( the cliché used in Sabah... ), they chose for expressing some virtues by wearing a strong religious symbol. Other women that I know dropped the hi jab and live a life like western women would. That's just as good as wearing it, but they're not pretending anything either...What Sabah is doing is pretending virtues for the outside world by wearing that specific religious symbol, but while living a life that's contradicting that. It's fairly safe to say that having pre marital sex and drinking alcohol is against the Quaran. It's like a pacifist joining the army, or a socialist with a Ferrari. Sabah is a woman that can't choose, not the heroine that the movie wants to make out of her. She'd have my respect if she either chose to drop the hi jab and have the western ''freedom'', or if she chose to keep it on and accept its responsibilities. Now she's just someone that doesn't choose, but keeps pretending something she's not. (--- I say this knowing that she's a fictional character, of course my opinion would be less strong if she was a human of flesh and blood. It's the message that the movie gives with her heroine that doesn't suit me, not that some Muslim women have sex before marriage or drink beer or anything.

amalkhalaf i watched this film in Bahrain yesterday at the Regardes des femmes film festival run by the Alliance Francaise. it was great to see a film portraying an Arab family abroad and the love story between people from two cultures. although there were some shortcomings in the acting and delivery- as well as a few really dodgy scenes- i enjoyed this movie and laughed a lot...and i related so well to the experiences of the house and of the main character Sabah. I also loved the music and the theme tune and have been singing it all day. Overall, i was very happy to have had the opportunity to see this film and to support a young talented director who tells stories of a world that i cannot always see on the big screen.