SUZIE GOLD
UK, 2003, 93 minutes, Colour.
Summer Phoenix, Leo Gregory, Stanley Townsend, Rebecca Front, Frances Barber, Iddo Goldberg, Miriam Karlin.
Directed by Ric Cantor.
When the British film, Suzie Gold, was released in 2004, many reviewers likened it to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. In fact, there are similarities insofar as there are popular stereotypes, preparations for a wedding, misunderstandings with the family – and conversations and actions which move towards the top, or over the top.
American actress Summer Phoenix, from the Phoenix family, takes on a North London accent as the Jewish Suzie Gold. The Gold family is preparing for a wedding with all the relevant fuss. However, Suzie falls in love with a non-Jewish man, played by Leo Gregory. This creates fuss in the family – and Suzie is unable to introduce him at the beginning of her relationship with him.
The film is very much for a Jewish audience who can enjoy looking at some exaggerated mirror images. While the family is not ardently orthodox, it still follows the Jewish traditions. In the supporting cast are veteran actors like Miriam Karlin and Frances Barber.
1. A pleasing and romantic comedy? Harking back to old-style romances, the opening with the flowers, the wedding, the portrait of Suzie, the portrait of Anthony, of Darren? The romantic dialogue? The sentiment? The surprise for a film, from England, the Jewish setting in 2003?
2. The North London settings, the suburban homes, the restaurants, the synagogue? The particularly Jewish flavour of the area? The shops, the streets, the television station? The Jewish families keeping together yet their involvement in the world around them?
3. The focus on Jewish traditions, religious and cultural? The Jewish community keeping to itself, the issue of "marrying out"? Marrying out being unthinkable, the various adults' comments on the effect of marrying out - and the outburst by Joy at the table of the disappearance of the Jews and Hitler winning? How important was the theme of marrying out, the expectations of the family? Suzie and her fulfilling these expectations - and then breaking out of them? The consequences for Jewish families and the Jewish community? The religious traditions, the meals, the wedding ceremony, the funeral and the period of mourning, community solidarity? The songs? The music? The vocabulary?
4. Summer Phoenix as Suzie Gold, the introduction in voice-over to her family, explaining everybody - with the comic touch? Explaining herself? Everybody at the wedding - and then the flashback structure? Suzie's story and it leading back to the wedding and its aftermath?
5. Suzie as a character, her relationship with her parents, loving, supportive? Her joy at her sister's wedding? The younger brother and the exasperation? The friends and neighbours, the cousins? Her place in the family, her going out? Her skill at her work, making mistakes, the attitude of the boss? Her encountering Darren, the attraction, shared experiences, his coming home, her mother dismissing him as the plumber? Their sexual relationship, the bedroom scene, the way that it was framed for Suzie and for Darren? Their talking, communicating? The prospect of her sister's engagement? The initial attraction towards Anthony Silver, when they were children, the expectation that they would marry? His taking notice of her, his talking, taking her out, the falling and his talking on the mobile phone? Darren and the confrontation, her not being able to take him home and admit the truth? Her dating Anthony, the restaurant sequence, the expectation that she would marry him? The build-up to the marriage and its preparations? The balloons, the irony of meeting Darren on the street, the talk, his challenging her, her letting the balloons go, going to the wedding, Anthony's speech, her rejection of it, her mother's outburst, her father's support, the family dancing together and the prospect of her being able to marry Darren? The journey for Suzie in terms of emotions, her place in the family, her place in the Jewish community to which she strongly belonged and was part of, her own fears, her love? The importance of the visit to her grandmother, her grandmother seeing her husband as a ghost? Supporting Suzie - and the two of them reappearing at the wedding? And the final comment of the grandfather after the titles?
6. The captions and the sayings of the rabbis, giving the themes of the film?
7. Anthony, his father and the restaurants, his considered being a catch, wealthy and talented? The girls falling all over him? His attention to Suzie, inviting her out, their discussions, skating and his mobile phone, the restaurant and people talking to him? His announcement at the wedding after asking Suzie's father's permission? The warmth of the proposal, her saying that he should have asked her, her rejection? His father and other people?
8. Darren, at work, the contrast with Anthony, non-Jewish, the way that he was treated by the family? Her love for him, breaking off? His leaving work, meeting in the street, the challenge, the balloons flying, her declaration for him, persuading her parents?
9. The portrait of the parents, the father, head of the family, his relationship with his mother, her death, his grief and the management of the grief and mourning? His dealing with his wife, telling her what his mother had said about her, all the negatives, then saying that she said he had married a jewel? At the wedding, Anthony's permission, Suzie's speech, his calming his wife, allowing her to marry whom she wished? The mother, work in the house, her love for her daughters, the very Jewish tone, her emotional outbursts? Seeing Darren as the plumber? Her anger at the wedding, her having to be calmed down? The relationship of the parents with their youngest son, his age, music, dream fantasies and dancing, being late, in the bath, his father rousing on him, his wearing the wrong shoes?
10. The other members of the community, Joy and her husband, her high emotions, having the relationship with her husband's best friend, her husband pushing her into the pool? His confrontation with the short man, their memories, the betrayals, the jokes, the reconciliation?
11. Suzie's friends, their support, advice? Sophie, the wedding, her love for her sister, her husband - and his always wanting to eat?
12. A portrait of a community, with its traditions and styles? The interactions? The Jewish community within the broader context of life in London? The radio station, the manager and his disregard of any outside news like earthquakes in China?
13. The pleasing blend of the comic, the serious, the romantic, sentiment?
