Whether you like him or not, whether or not you agree with his politics, you have to admire the career of Adel Imam.
More than any other actor in the Middle East and the Arab world, the legendary comedian has been topping the box-office for more than three decades. Despite the few drops and the competition from newcomers Mohamed Saad, Mohamed Heneidi, Ahmed Helmi and others, he always manages to come back with a vengeance.
What s even more admirable is how he re-invented himself following a string of major flops that threatened to end his career. By working with young, fresh filmmakers, accepting his age and sticking to the winning, formulas of scriptwriter Youssef Maatym Imam managed to rise above his slump with 2003 s Al Tagrubah al Denemarkiyyah (The Danish Experience), a mediocre picture that nevertheless drew Imam fans back to theaters in droves.
His three subsequent movies, including last year s mega blockbuster Yacoubian Building not only saw his films improve drastically, but also succeeded in building a new fan-base of devoted young viewers.
Imam s latest film Morgan Ahmed Morgan is set to prolong the star s thriving streak and possibly seal the competition.
Morgan is a sarcastic moral tale about a self-made, uneducated businessman who can buy anything and anyone. Morgan, who seems to monopolize every major and minor trade in the country, is the stereotypical unscrupulous shark, who always finds justification for his actions.
Morgan s children Uday (Sherif Salama) and Aliaa (Basma) are his polar opposites. They re cultured, classy, have a strong code of ethics and wear their disdain for corrupt businessmen like their father on their sleeves.
Uday and Aliaa s role model is Jihan Mourad (Mervat Amin), a middle-aged widow and Civilizations professor. She is vocal about Morgan s shady past and his devious business practices. The pair face off during parliamentary elections that Morgan obviously steals, but loses his children’s respect in the process.
To repair the damage, Morgan, following Mourad s advice, decides to enroll at the university his children attend. Back to school, he meets a handful of eccentric characters and wages a fierce war against Mourad, but ultimately learns that some things don t have a price tag.
Morgan is an entertaining film refreshingly without clichés, the typical verbal jokes of current comedies, and, best of all, a pressing emotional core.
The film plays its comedy straight, relying on a series of side-splitting situations that reach its peak in the second part when Morgan goes to college.
All supporting performers are impressive but Ahmed Meky, director of The Seventh Sense and star of last year s hit sitcom Tamer and Shawkeya, almost steal the show.
Meky plays the same role in Tamer s as the overtly hip, Americanized, imprudent loveable buffoon. Surprisingly, his act hasn t worn off yet and his liveliness and effortless performance animate the film. Let s just hope he doesn’t turn into another Limby.
The political jabs are always a great sell and in “Morgan, they reach their pinnacle in the scene where Morgan refers to a number of hot issues like bird flu and deadly rail accidents which the government has repeatedly failed to address.
On the down side, Morgan is a structural disaster.
The film is basically a two-act comedy with a third one squeezed through in five minutes. As a result, the payoff feels rushed, weak and unpersuasive. The obligatory song, on the other hand, is downright embarrassing and irrelevant. And the less we say about the choreography the better.
Overall though, Morgan Ahmed Morgan is an enjoyable film by a star that still sizzles at 67. The moral is only there to give the story some weight, please the critics and secure the film with a message label. This doesn t, however, belittle the film which is easily the best commercial release this summer.
Imam has yet to make a film on par with his best works with Sherif Arafa and Wahid Hamed, but until he does, this is good enough.
