It is a sad indictment of the British-Jewish movie sub-genre that this 1993 comedy is still touted as the finest of its kind.
Back then, I guess British Jews were happy that someone had seen fit to make a comedy about them, despite the fact that the plot was slight, the acting so-so and the jokes strained. It is basically a one-gag film. Jewish estate-agent Leon (Mark Frankel, who died tragically young in a road accident) decides to investigate his roots after he discovers that his real father is a pig farmer. The results are less than hilarious. Once we have discovered the fact of Leon's ancestry, there is nowhere to go.
That said, the cast that co-directors Gary Sinyor and Vadim Jean assembled with little in the way of finance, including Janet Suzman and Gina Bellman, is impressive. And there are some funny moments, a few well-delivered lines, but not enough to rescue the film.
