Touch of Pink (2004)
"When she was barely in her 20's,
my mother traveled from Colonial East Africa to London,
ostensibly to take a secretarial course. A few months
later she suddenly left the course and went back home,
immediately accepting a marriage proposal from my
father on her return. Not a hugely puzzling story,
you might think. But my mother was from a poor, uneducated
Muslim family. That journey to London to take a secretarial
course is so out of keeping with the rest of her life:
it might as well have been a trip to go golfing on
the moon." - Ian Iqbal Rashid in FLM Magazine
There's something a little troubling
about a film that has a strong gay male character
who considers "the spirit of" closet-case Cary Grant
as his hero and guardian angel. That's the premise
of "Touch of Pink." But, as the film unspools, it
becomes obvious that this device is perfect for the
"coming out" story that is being told. In the film
(its title is a play on that of Grant's 1962 film
"That Touch of Mink") it is shown that leading a closeted
lifestyle is not only impossible if one wants to achieve
happiness but also hypocritical and unhealthy. (Take
that estate of Cary Grant!)
For sure, we have seen this "coming
out" story a gazillion times. This time it involves
a Muslim man named Alim (Jimi Mistry of "The Guru")
living in London with his white, male lover (Kristen
Holden-Reid). When his mother comes for a visit, of
course, life is turned upside- down as the two work
to conceal the truth from the traditional mom. But
there is much to like in this film even with its typical
trappings. The acting is excellent. The characters
are really interesting. And Holden-Reid, as the boyfriend,
is mad HOT. His accent is to die for!
And then, of course, there's Kyle
MacLachlan playing Cary Grant, Alim's guardian angel.
At first, MacLachlan seems like
a total caricature of Grant, speaking in the late
actor's odd voice and phrasing to sound more like
John Byner or Rich Little doing their mimicry of Grant
than a true impersonation of the actor himself. But
MacLachlan hangs tough and eventually we begin to
accept him as Grant. Hell, Grant always sounded like
a caricature of himself anyway. Somehow MacLachlan's
pointed impression becomes more and more Grant-like
the more that we hear it. Add to this the fact that
MacLachlan is given some of the most hilarious and
biting quips in the film and you've got a winning
performance.
"Touch of Pink" has been done before.
Hell, even the Bollywood angle in a "coming out" story
has been done before. But, goddammit, it's really
hard not to like this film. The message of the film,
when all is said and done, is really positive; It's
got oodles of charm and a really sweet main character
who has a wonderful story to tell. (And did I mention
the boyfriend is HOT!?!)
Notes
Writer/director Ian Iqbal Rashid
based much of the film on incidents in his and his
mother's life including their shared love of old Hollywood
films. Not surprisingly, her favorite film is "That
Touch of Mink." At one time this film was even going
to be called "That Touch of Pink."
While writing the script, Rashid
kept a postcard of the photograph by George Zimbel
called "Irish Dance Hall, The Bronx" above his desk.
On the very day the film was greenlit, by chance,
he saw a print of the photograph in a store and bought
it.
Filmed in Canada and London, where
it is set.
Viewed at a press sneak at the Dobie
in August 2004.
