The Yacoubian Building (2006)

Very disappointing...

the audience applauded

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I saw this one yesterday at the Stockholm Filmfestival.Nice try, but I didn't connect to any of the characters in this movie. They tried to make stories of different life-situations all connected to the same building. Some of these stories might have been interesting if done differently but they were actually just kind of boring. They tried to make some of the characters sympathetical but they weren't perceived as such, at least not by me. Some points in the movie were over exaggerated and some were not explained at all. one of the few movies I've seen that I actually didn't care at all how it ended. and that's not a very good sign... no, nice try but this one is a stinker./B

man oh man. what a film; it will leave you dazzled and amazed upon it's beauty. Marwan Hamed is no ordinary director, he is one of the best around. i have never seen such a movie that tackles every issue in the Egyption society so honestly. it is a pure masterpiece and if i was running the Oscars then that movie will sure receive one. A movie so honest and directed, it is designed for all classes describing the social corruption in todays society - not only in Egypt but all around the world. if you miss this movie then you will spend your entire life regretting it so i advice every Arabic and non-Arabic speaker to watch the masterpiece and enjoy the art of this marvelous director whom i have a great respect for. two thumps up

This movie offers three stories that are not linked except by having some of their events taking place at the same building: Yacoubian Building (Emarat Yaqubyan). The small hints in one story that may refer to another one are so insignificant that you can take them out of script without any damage to any of the stories. The main story is about the rich playboy (Adel Emam) who is turning old. The second story is about the devout merchant (Noor el-Sharif) and his quest for more. The last small story is about the homosexual newspaper editor and his quest for a lover. Having so disconnected stories in one building might be a symbol for the way Cairan society is: so many disconnected lives living in one big city. And this applies for all of Egypt too.Unsurprising about Adel Emam's movies, this one is full of sexual scenes and is extremely anti-religious with uncompromising tone. Decency is not welcome here and is not encouraged. It is pro-'mutual consent sex' but anti-'sexual exploitation': something that Emam has always featured in his movies against the norms of the Muslim traditions of Egypt and the Arab World. When discussing religion, the movie gives the extreme cases of terrorists and opportunists. No moderate Islam (or Christianity) is introduced although Egyptian and Arab societies are mostly moderate and honest.I'm not surprised by being disappointed. Egyptian movie-making should stop being so liberal and turn to the truth of Egyptian society. I'm not Egyptian, but I know that Egyptians are fed up with negative stereotypes that are introduced in their local movies. Egyptians should not be blamed for attacking this movie and all other movies that don't mirror the facts of Egyptian society.The story is great, the movie-making is nice, but the messages are bad. I would recommend seeing this movie, but don't take it seriously. It is not the whole truth, and many events are untrue (like allowing extremist Friday prayer and sermon in a major mosque under the currently effective Egyptian martial laws). It is just drama and not true life, but full of symbolism and some true things.

Aside from the technical issues of directing, the movie was a total failure, those who did not read the novel have seen nothing! Waheed hamed's lame adaptation ruined the whole spirit of the book, the lines are more of a "Nadia el gendy" or "nabeela edeid" film.The whole scene is supposed to be set in the early 90s, yet nothing in the customs or the events can be of the 90s.Special lines and scenes are added for Zaky el dessouki (Adel emam) only because he's a famous comedian and the audience would like him to throw a joke every now and then although it's totally unnecessary,Taha's (Mohamed emam) clothes are not of his social class in anyway!The amazing spirit of neutrality that one can find in the novel has been brutally destroyed in the movie where you can take sides easily.The soundtrack is nonsense, people in theatres were laughing most of the time specially in the Gay love scenes as the proper music for the moment is lost.All I can think of is that those Old guys desperately tryed to seize the moment and have their share of the new Egyptian film industry cake that the young actors built over the past 8 years or so!Guess i'm obviously biased , but that's how I see it.