The Story:
And speaking of Cary Grant, it is he who greets us at the opening of the movie. Well, actually, it's Kyle McLachlan (of Sex & The City—Charlotte's first husband) portraying the spirit of Cary Grant. See, our lead character, Alim (Jimi Mistry), a gay man of Muslim descent, living in London, daydreams about a fantasy world of old 50s romantic comedies. And standing by his side is Cary Grant, giving him advice on amour. And he needs it. Alim is celebrating his anniversary with his boyfriend Giles (Kristen Holden-Reid)—an anniversary that has a guest list comprised of a variety of Giles's ex-boyfriends. As if Giles's eyes for the guys isn't problem enough, Alim's mother, Nuru, is coming to town. Nuru is third world Muslim (but now lives in Toronto) and she comes to visit hoping to bring Alim back home to Toronto for his cousin's wedding, at which she hopes to introduce Alim to a girl. See, the problem is, she doesn't know Alim is gay. So Cary Grant coaches Alim in creating the illusion that he and Giles are just roommates when his mother arrives. Which is where all the lying begins. And Giles willingly steps into the closet—momentarily. He is determined to have Nuru warm up to him, despite her resistance. It's only a matter of time before the truth comes out. And the secret gets dragged all the way across the ocean to Toronto. And of course, there are shocking revelations to be made at the wedding…but they're even more unexpected than the audience would—well—expect.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It really is a retro-feeling romantic comedy without any of the stereotypical gay banter going on. The characters feel more like my gay friends than the caricatures I usually see portrayed on screen—and they aren't perfect or beautiful, just real, which is exactly what makes them attractive. The plot may remind you of the movie The Wedding Banquet from a number of years ago, with a Muslim gay man replacing the Asian gay man, but this one is much lighter than that film. The chemistry between the actors is excellent, and all the characters are loveable. Suleka Mathew as Alim's mother is perfect, if not a little too pretty and young looking, and not third world enough in her personality for us to believe that Alim would be so fearful of telling her the truth. Of course, this movie makes light of a much touchier subject—being a gay Muslim. This film is most likely far from reality—but it's meant to be inspirational to those who are.

The only other issue I have with the movie is the Cary Grant angle. I enjoyed it at first, but it didn't carry through well, and eventually started losing steam (not to mention that Cary Grant sort of acts like he's having trouble comprehending the whole gay thing—and recent biographies tell a very different story about THAT). Although I think Cary Grant was hot, I was never a devoted fan of his movies—those who are well-versed in his films will enjoy the in-jokes that are described by the director in the commentary (sort of like having a horror newbie watch Scream and just not get any of the references). The Cary Grant perspective does add to the fluffy tone of the movie, but the film is definitely strong enough to stand on its own.

The DVD

Video:
This is a high-definition transfer, and it shows. The film is anamorphic 1:85:1 (don't be fooled by the opening scene, which is intentionally letterboxed). The picture offers rich darks and beautiful light contrasts to create depth. The color saturation is ideal, and the flesh tones are perfect. There are minimal signs of dust on the print.

Sound:
Once again, this disc shines. 5.1 surround is fully utilized. The front/back/left/right balance is perfect for an all around the room experience. The bass is minimal, kicking in mostly during songs.

Extras:
Here's the breakdown:

LANGUAGES—a whole load of subtitle options here: English, Portuguese, Japanese (with commentary too), Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Thai. WOW.

CHAPTER BREAKS—28 in all. I'm a big fan of numerous chapter breaks, and you really get them here.

PREVIEWS—an odd assortment of 6 previews, including one for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and one for White Chicks. Odd, considering previews usually try to target the audience watching the film. Also, one of the trailers is for Touch of Pink itself.

MAKING OF—this is short, a mere 8 minutes, and consists of interviews with director Ian Iqbal Rashid and the cast. There's not much of interest here.

COMMENTARY—the director and actors Jimi Mistry and Kyle MacLachlan take us on a fun journey through the making of the movie. Their banter is light and fun, and they share some good anecdotes about the film, the other actors, the characters, and the creative process.

Final Thoughts:
With it's homage to 50s "sex" comedies, Touch of Pink takes gay film to heart with humor. Cary Grant fans will appreciate its celebration of his career, and everyone will appreciate the realistic portrayal of gay relationships. This movie should be kept around for date night.