The Infidel is directed by Josh Appignanesi and written by David Baddiel. It stars Omid Djalili, Richard Schiff, Yigal Naor and Matt Lucas. Music is by Erran Baron Cohen and cinematography by Natasha Braier. Mahmud Nasir, a British Muslim, goes through an identity crisis when he discovers he was adopted as a child and born to a Jewish family.It's a tricky subject to make a comedy out of, but by and large the makers have produced an enjoyable and observational pleasure. Led by the ebullient Omid Djalili as the conflicted protagonist, film unfolds in a series of sections involving Israel, Palestine, Antisemitism and Islamophobia. Along the way there are some great gags, both visual and vocal, but then it culminates in the inevitable message and relies heavily on a weak reveal. The motives and means are genuine, this is not an offensive movie, it has a point and for those who want to delve deeper there is much to kick off discussion. But ultimately it's a good comedy with strong themes of identity and family ties binding the racial hot points at the core. 6/10

I watched this on BBC I player last evening (Jan 2012) as it had been shown on the BBC. Enjoyed it immensely, although some of the lesser characters seemed to be quite stereotypical. The let down for me was the very limited exploration of the Jewish community and how they would accept (or otherwise) a person with this background. That said a polished performance from Matt Lucas. Omid Djaili gives real credence to the main character and is very believable, very much the real star of the Movie. David Badiel (Author) has done a great job on the script and makes the dialogue more than believable. I recommend this as viewing for all despite some of the flowery language (very much in context) I would suggest some of the Dialogue (racist) is occasionally used for dramatic/comedy effect rather than as necessary to the plot, although it is never over the top, and would be hard pressed to be taken as seriously offensive by anyone except the most extreme.Enjoyable and thought provoking worth the watch.

The Infidel is pretty much a one-trick pony: the shocking birth identity revealed. The same thing was done with black/white tensions in "A Family Thing," starring James Earl Jones and Robert Duvall. In fact, in several key ways, this is pretty much a replay of that film. Certainly, the hatred and bigotry between black and white and Muslim and Jew are ridiculous and tragic aspects of our culture. We can only hope that our descendants will look back at these times and ask, What the hell were they thinking? But until they provide an answer, this film will help address that question as best it can.There's a limit to what it can do. The Infidel doesn't pretend to be a documentary or even a drama. Nor is it one-sided. Ultimately it is what it is: a wry comedy that depends upon the performances of its two lead actors. Almost all the critical attention here has focused on the Muslim lead. I saw it the other way. Richard Schiff's performance was far more compelling to me, probably because of my own background. Some of his lines, admirably understated, were the film's key to success. Schiff played essentially the same character he does here on The West Wing (Toby). He seems to thrive on characters who are depressed, wise and caustically humorous. That's certainly the world of Lenny, here.This film isn't going to eliminate Muslim/Jew fear and hatred, but neither will it fuel it. And it might even go some distance to raise a bit of consciousness among those on either side who will listen.

I missed this at this years MIFF and was a little perturbed to read some so so reviews, but never one to believe everything one reads, I went to see it anyway. Good thing that everyone has a different opinion as I really enjoyed this.Written by David Baddiel the film explores the idea of identity and what that means in religion. When a Muslim man finds out he was adopted and was actually born Jewish it throws his life into chaos. Not only does this provide some very funny moments as he explores Jewish life by befriending a neighbour, whilst hiding the truth from his family, but it also presents an entirely fascinating idea. As a non relgious person, I found the idea that you spend your life believing one thing only to come from another amazing. That the film explores this with humour makes it easy viewing, but it also has a message about tolerance and understanding that is played out with subtlety and isn't shoved done our throats.Omid Djalili does a great job, his portrayal of the man torn between two ideas is natural and funny, without resorting to a stereotype. Excellent writing by Baddiel gives some great moments, many at the expense of faith, and in a way often shows how ridiculous religion is at times. The film fails near the end as a sub plot of an Islamic cleric actually being a 80's pop star falling flat, but otherwise this is a very funny and entertaining film.More of my reviews at my site iheartfilm.weebly.com