Rating: 
Summary: Kate Winslet does it again
Review: It is undeniable that Kate Winslet has courage. Were any other actress in the biggest blockbuster ever --'Titanic'--, she would follow up with another big movie, and become a sort of heroine. But Winslet, no! She doesn't want that. And here she is, in a small movie, with a low budget and with such a peculiar title. She doesn't care, as long as she's doing what she likes-- and by the way, she does it very well.'Hideous Kinky' tells the story of a British young woman who with her two little daughters leave the boring and grey London and her poet husband to go to a sunny and exotic place in Morocco in the early 70s. Her idea is to find a Sufi guru who will instructs her in the annihilation of Ego. While seeking this man, she falls in love, lives in awful conditions and even has to be apart from one of her daugthers. Needless to say that Winslet brings all the passion and power that this character needs. Her presence is magic and almost perfect. She is playing the kind of outsider anyone is expecting Winslet to play. It is impossible to imagine any other girl doing this role. Her two daughters are very good too, showing how lost they are in that place that is far from what they've been their whole lives. The script is based on Esther Freud's novel, and it interesting to think that the source material was written by a descendent of Freud --the man who made the word Ego the mantra of XX century. Another thing that shines in the movie is the soundtrack. Full of songs from the late 60s, it gives the right tone to the story. Not failing to mention the Moroccan song that are terrific! A highly recommended movie, but for specific audiences.
Rating:
Summary: Reminded me of my Childhood
Review: Wonderful film, of Julia taking her kids from England, pulling them around Morocco in the early seventies, as she searches for wisdom and enlightenment in the Islamic mysticism of Sufism. The characters are well done, and the children *very* well acted, sweet and engaging. Here one gets a strong foretaste of travels to Morocco, with beautiful scenes of Marrakech and the desert. Some drawbacks: brief nudity, Christians are portrayed too negatively, and one child is not entirely believable in her dislike of the free life in Morocco. Children have more imagination than that, and every child I have ever known enjoys adventure and travel at that age. Some of the characters, and indeed some viewers, feel Julia displays poor parenting skills, for she pursues her spiritual enlightenment at the expense of raising her children. The one child mentioned above in the movie struggles greatly with the desire to lead a "normal" life. From my perspective, growing up in a Jesus Freak commune (a people who are even mentioned in this movie), Julia's actions are not only entirely appropriate, but beneficial to her children, allowing them to experience greater spiritual depth. Growing up, we continuously traveled around, in many countries, and I am grateful to my parents for such an experience. I recommend this movie not as a view into a woman who is not raising her kids right, because she is being too selfish; but rather a look at how one can provide far greater opportunity to one's children through bold adventure, and how many children miss out because parents do not provide that opportunity.
Rating:
Summary: Spirit of the 60s, man
Review: Hideous Kinky is based on Esther Freud's novel, told from a child's point of view, of a strange family journey through Morocco in the early 1970s. Kate Winslett is the young mother who has left behind the stability of a flat in central London, work, and a husband. She drags her two young girls through the dusty and beautiful landscapes of Morocco, all the while searching for something she believes is out there. The theatrical trailer for this film was very odd--all I remember about is that I wanted to see the film for some reason. Not your typical Hollywood fare by a long shot, it's Winslett's first major film after Titantic, I believe. Quite a departure in terms of production, however, still a very good role for her. Over time, the characters find themselves lost in more ways than one, meeting up with and losing and finding Bilal, a Moroccan man who offers a fascinating counterpoint to these atypical English travellers. The selfishness of the main character becomes more clear as we watch the children suffer through confusion, discomfort, and a suspended reality while mommy flirts with spirituality. This is not for everyone. It's not a chick flick, it's not exactly a travelogue (though it approaches that format most often), nor is it a melodrama by any means. Taking place in the early 1970s it plays with the notions of the hippie or the pseudo-hippie, bucking the system yet stressing the notion that the system has irrevocably molded you. You may feel for the characters, or you may feel contempt at the irresponsible choices. There's also a great soundtrack on CD. The theatrical trailer made it's point with Jefferson Airplane's classic Somebody to Love, while there's also Nick Drake, Canned Heat, and some regional music from Morocco as well. The film is a real treat and is highly recommended if you want a recognizable star in a non-Hollywood setting, and if you want an insight into the nomadic handling of young children by a confused parent.
Rating: 
Summary: A seductive look at the desert
Review: One of the most refreshing "desert" movies I have seen in a long time. It does stretch one's ideas about a single mother running around the desert with two children and being that safe everywhere she goes. This Gillies MacKinnon movie about a single mother (Kate Winslet) and her identity-seeking hiatus around Morocco in the hippie days of the early 1970s, moves along the path most taken: a soul-searching trip to an idealized Orient. Hideous Kinky is loosely based on Esther Freud's novel. I'm certain that the experience was real enough for her but it really misses on a few key safety issues of modern day travel. Kate Winslet is wonderful (and her two young co-stars are adorable) and comes back with much more than dust in her sandals - she is transformed. Westerners who take these soul searching trips to exotic lands themed stories gives cinematographers license go to town. The old world landmarks are wonderful and the old men whose silences speak volumes is pure Orientalism (see Edward Said's "Orientalism" also available on Amazon.com). Those romantic dusty landscapes at sunrise are sure to draw in the desert lovers like myself. The ruins, the mosques, the Bedouin tent, all giving off a sense of ancient mystery. Is it really just "Orientalism"? Things is, it beats "The Sheltering Sky" with its rustic charm and light manner. The outward portion of the story is great but it betrays a deeper, more soulful deliberation. Stories like this are meant to be an "inward odysseys", in which the protagonist releases torments that are alive and well "at home" - and that is the crux - there is a "home." Bea (Bella Riza) and Lucy (Carrie Mullan) and the mother to Julia (Winslet), revels in Marrakech together with Bilal (Said Taghmaoui), who becomes Julia's lover. "Hideous Kinky" is a pastiche of "episodes" leaving us to imagine or figure out for ourselves the internal changes. The phrase "hideous kinky" is not a teaser but a catch all phrase by two young ones that could mean absolutely anything. Watch it with a tinge of cynicism - since the beauty of the landscape, the children and the promise of liberation are all seductive. Is it all "Orientalism"? Miguel Llora
Rating: 
Summary: Not a film for the action-scravers amongst us!
Review: Hideous Kinky is a film from a book. As with all films from books your expectations are high but almost always shattered. admittedly this film is not a stunning piece of work, worthy of academy award status but it does possess qualities which are refreshing to see on the big screen. Hideous Kinky is mostly set in Marrakesh, Morocco which lends itself to the uniqueness of this film. The two little girls who play Lucy and Bea are contrary to the usual hollywood brat, they bring a matter of fact and innocent aspect to this film. The plot is not fast-moving but this is a true story, definately not one for the film buff who wants to be thrilled
Rating:
Summary: A True Psychedelic Classic
Review: Why, oh why are the best films created always from countries other than the United States? While we churn out mind-numbingly trite fare like 'Not another teen movie', the UK and France constantly challenge us with exhilarating creations like 'The Dreamlife of Angels' and 'Les Parapluies de Cherbourg'. In this particular case, the film in question is 'Hideous Kinky', a little-seen, but revered film for fans of novelist Esther Freud. A strictly Brit-only dominion ensures that the crisp diction of a language oft mistreated comes through in dazzling perfection, and Kate Winslet proves why she is perhaps one of the best actresses we have in our midst today. This film has no story, really. Its more or less a collection of vignettes focussing on a mother and her two children in Marrakesch, Morroco. In Germany, producers decided for aeons before deciding that the German version of the film couldn't possibly be titled 'Hideous Kinky' and they then decided on the plain 'Marrakech' as the movie's name. The mother, played by Kate, is a young British woman who has dragged her two young daughters to Morocco in search of spiritual understanding. Its all set in the '60s and if you can find yourself the out of print soundtrack to the movie, GRAB IT! Its a find worth keeping. The movie traces Kate's attempts to make sense, and some money, in a country she has embraced, but has its own problems in embracing her back. Her kids however, blend straight into the scenery without a problem. And what a scenery it is! This is perhaps the most beautiful Morocco has looked on film, and thats no careless statement. Through the course of the film, Kate falls in love with a handsome Islamic rogue, who falls so hard for her that he moves heaven and earth to get them back to England when they fall upon hard times. He knows he won't see them again, yet is willing to put his life in jeopardy for their happiness. I loved this movie because its exactly the sort of film I enjoy. Its MUCH better than Kate's other Eastern influenced movie 'Holy Smoke'. Its also very refreshing to see how films such as these still pop up in an era where blockbusters have taken a front seat in the world of film-making. I recently understood that this DVD is out of print, which means that the studio is no longer producing it. Amazon.com is one of the few online merchants who still have a few copies of the movie so I highly recommend you get your hands on this rarity before it disappears from the public eye completely! Its also not one of those films that are likely to pop up on a Criterion Collection anytime soon, so once its gone, I suppose it will take forever before its put back on DVD. Thats bad news for us hardcore fans of the movie, but I just wanted to drive the point home. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Hideous nonsense
Review: There is no story here. The plot is conveyed entirely by the text on the back side of the DVD box. The scenery is beautiful, but that's not why one gets this movie, is it? Winslet tries her best, but there is no POINT to this movie. Scenes transition harshly and without apparent cohesiveness, as if one were jumping from Chapter 4 to Chapter 6 in a book. The two kids also seem to try to act above the script and stilted direction, but they too fall prey to a meandering script. Avoid this movie at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD
Review: For the cinematography and scenery alone, I would recommend this movie. Set in northern Africa, the landscape is stunning. A young British woman (the always beautiful Kate Winslet) takes her two young daughters to northern Africa and exposes them to a completely different way of life, often grappling with poverty and unknown circumstances. The film has very little plot but is lovely simply to watch as a personal journey for Winslet's character and especially for her little girls. Imagine seeing these things through the eyes of a child: that is the opportunity this film affords. This was Kate Winslet's follow up to the blockbuster Titanic, and it proves if nothing else that Winslet is in the craft of acting for the love of acting and to stretch her experience far and wide. Not to be a star in the conventional sense of the word.
Rating:
Summary: A great tale about the quest for meaning and substantiality
Review: I saw this movie fairly recently and was impressed by it. As a Southern Californian my life is filled with everything I need, close at hand. And, as someone who recently began to practice yoga and grow a deeper sense of myself, this movie had a similar parallel. Freedom from constraints, wandering the world, remembering responsibilities...these are all true to life. I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Spiritual Women Will Love This Film
Review: In the tradition of the fair lady Celt drawn to the magic, music, generosity, romance and mysticism of the Arabian Nights, Kate Winslet and her daughters are burnished by their journey of hardship and shared with kindly in a way that Westerners will find fascinating if hard to understand. The Koran demands charity especially to the traveller, from the believers. The self sacrifice of the Moroccan man is typical of the kindness that takes so many Western women who are open to it aback. We are used to fathers who talk of money as though we were worth less than it. An Arabic view is quite different and a well spring of relief for a thirsty human being in need of true generosity and love. By the way, the Celts originate in the area surrounding the Black Sea which is where the draw to the Middle East springs from in what might otherwise be taken for contrived little red haired Scottish girls who have no idea who they are or what they're doing. Actually, they have a perfectly good idea and every right. You will enjoy this journey with Kate.
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