David & Layla (2005)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

This film's idea has promise -- romance between Muslim & Jew in New York, families dead-set-against the star-crossed lovers, refugee facing deportation, etc. But the execution is horrible, and seems to have milked every ethnic and gender stereotype there is.David comes across as a shallow an unsympathetic character... with an every worse girlfriend (pre-Layla). She treats him as a sex object (the classic 1950s-stereotype, just with genders reversed), he lacks any sense of responsibility, and 5 minutes after bad sex she throws him out. Yawn.David's family are shown as fitting the 1950s stereotypes of Jewish Americans all too well. Parents overeager for wedding, bad jokes about plastic surgery, etc. Yawn.Then we meet Layla... who is shown as a sensuous middle-Eastern dancer, dark and mysterious... but facing deportation from the US. She stars in the one good scene we saw, where David (doing sidewalk interviews for his TV show) accosts her on the sidewalk and asks her about her sex life. She responds by slapping him and walking away.I watched this with my husband on netflix instant-play, and after 10 or 15 minutes we were so bored we stopped the movie. For once we're in complete agreement on our rating: 1/10Now that we've seen at least the start of this film, the IMDb user review by "b s" ("don't fall for it ... incompetent script meets cardboard characters", 19 Feb 2008) seems all too true.

I watched David and Layla, and I loved the movie. I usually don't finish a movie in one attempt these days but the movie's story was so amusing that I watched it in one session. I liked how the movie portrays the challenges of dating someone from a different religion and culture and how artfully it injects a clever sense of humor into it. There are not that many movies made about interracial romance, which can this skillfully show how love supersedes the religious/racial differences. I enjoyed watching this movie with a few friends of mine for a second time and we all liked this movie. I recommend this movie highly.

Just by reading some reviews and descriptions, I knew I was going to walk into a movie filled with stereotypes and some political messages. What I didn't expect is that I would be crept out by the lack of true romance and love. I honestly got the impression that David purely wanted sex and Layla purely wanted the green card and they met somewhere in the middle. Sure, love can develop and it may have in their real-life story but you wouldn't really get that from the movie. Just when you think the characters will surprise you with a valiantly romantic gesture, they let you down with the sort of banal behavior one might find in the real world. Basically, I was pulled from all directions ... ethnic stereotypes, deadly politics, and ethically weak characters. I would expect a message of love would come through to rescue the viewer from all the other depressing stuff but there was barely a hint of it.I couldn't help but think that David didn't deserve her at all and that sort of ruined some of the grander points that were pain-stakingly being made. I'm sorry but that's how the movie made me feel.

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