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David & Layla

Play trailer Poster for David & Layla R 2006 1h 48m Comedy Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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53% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A Jewish man and a Muslim woman must overcome family and religious obstacles to find love with each other.
David & Layla

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Earnest and well-intentioned, "David & Layla" stumbles over itself too often to achieve its goals.

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Critics Reviews

View All (19) Critics Reviews
Ruthe Stein San Francisco Chronicle Jay Jonroy, who wrote and directed David & Layla, has come up with some potentially funny material that doesn't quite work. Rated: 2/4 Mar 7, 2008 Full Review Jeff Shannon Seattle Times Anyone can grasp the issues explored in Jonroy's comedy, and occasional missteps are easily forgiven when something new (along with a feast of great-looking food) is being brought to the table. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 5, 2007 Full Review Richard Nilsen Arizona Republic David and Layla is proof, if proof be needed, that good intentions just aren't enough. Rated: 1.5/5 Sep 20, 2007 Full Review Harvey S. Karten Film Journal International The picture takes its time in developing momentum; once attained, it becomes a watchable, optimistic cri de coeur. Feb 19, 2008 Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide The road to formulaic romantic-comedy complications and ethic clichs is paved with good intentions in first-time filmmaker Jay Jonroy's cross-culture love story, which might as well be called My Big Fat Kurdish Wedding. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 15, 2008 Full Review Kam Williams NewsBlaze My Big Fat Muslim Wedding! Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 11, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (27) audience reviews
Audience Member This is a cute story about people from two very different backgrounds finding love and making it work. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member It took a while to build up momentum, but it finally hit its stride in the last half of the movie. It was interesting to see the culture clash. The poor jokes were annoying and distracting from a good story. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I really enjoyed this movie. Funny, smart and romantic...a perfect chick flick in my opinion. I didnt even realize until the end that it was a true story. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member “David and Layla” is a romantic drama that explores the love between two people from very different cultural backgrounds. David Fine (David Moscow) is a Jewish guy and host of a show “Sex and Happiness” who spends his workdays interviewing people on the streets of Brooklyn. He is engaged to a domineering, Type- A personality, Abby (Callie Thorne), also a Jew. Things are moving along, not altogether satisfactorily (especially in his love life), when David sees a beautiful, exotic young woman walk down the street one day. The lady in question is Layla (Shiva Rose), a Kurdish refugee from Iraq who is living with her affluent relatives whilst she tries to figure out a way to get a green card – her visa expires in 30 days, and she faces deportation. David finds himself falling hard for Layla, and the story centers on their courtship and the problems that inevitably arise in a cross-cultural romance, especially considering that David is a Jew whilst Layla is a Muslim. Needless to say, both families are not too thrilled at the couple’s romance – David’s mother, Judith (Polly Fine) is a typical Jewish mother who is horrified at the prospect of getting a shiksa daughter-in-law, especially a Muslim! Peter Van Wagner turns in a fine performance as Mel, David’s laidback and empathetic father. The two leads share a credible on-screen chemistry that makes the viewer buy into the love at first sight premise (well for David at least). Shiva Rose (ex-wife of actor Dylan McDermott) is compelling and sexy as the lovely Layla who harbors within her a poetic and sensitive soul, who loves to dance and resorts to lying to her relatives (telling them she attends nursing school) whilst moonlighting as a traditional dancer in a local establishment. Unfortunately, so much is crammed into the storytelling, that not enough time is spent focusing on what draws Layla to David and vice versa, in terms of genuine feelings and depth of emotion. The story is packed with too many characters, and though the supporting cast does a good job, I felt this was a classic example of “too many cooks spoiling the broth”. The cultural differences are explored using humor – the scene where Layla attends Passover dinner at David’s house, bringing inappropriate hostess gifts is one among many scenes peppered throughout the movie. But, once again, this felt a bit derivative to me – if Layla truly loved David, then why did she not make the effort to find out what would make an appropriate Passover gift? Also, it felt to me like David was the one willing to make the most accommodations in the relationship. Ultimately, I thought the movie was a fun exploration of an inter-religious romance, but it does approach the story in an almost trivial manner – there is no real, genuine, in-depth exploration of the complexities inherent within such relationships. I should know, being in a cross-cultural marriage myself. Final verdict – a fun movie with generally good acting, and should make good entertainment for those who like rom-coms. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Eh, alright, a little too crude at parts, but I really did like the cultural aspect.. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Culture clash comedy/drama with a good lead performance by David Moscow, Caricatures abound though. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
David & Layla

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A Jewish man and a Muslim woman must overcome family and religious obstacles to find love with each other.
Director
Jay Jonroy
Producer
Jay Jonroy
Screenwriter
Jay Jonroy
Production Co
Films International Corporation, Newroz Films
Rating
R (Brief Drug Material|Some Language|Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$120.8K
Runtime
1h 48m