175. Imported Groom (Importinis jaunikis); movie review

IMPORTED GROOM (IMPORTINIS JAUNIKIS)
Cert TBA
97 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

Yes, there are countries in the world where Love They Neighbour-style comedies about racists still have an audience.
Imported Groom, a Lithuanian comedy which has been adapted from a successful Ukrainian film, jarred because we were watching it in Britain in 2021 - 23 years after Alf Garnett's final appearance on TV and 50 years since he was widely popular.
Sadly, racism is still rife in the UK but at least making jokes about skin colour in mainstream media has been consigned to the past.
Apparently not so in Lithuania if Simonas Askelavicius's movie is a taste barometer.
Mindaugas Capas plays Cibulskis - a businessman who likes to think he is control of his surroundings - a de facto lord of the manor who lives in a huge property in a small Lithuanian town.
He brags of the impending wedding of his daughter (Vitalija Mockeviciute) to a Frenchman and even hires an event planner (Ainis Storpirstis) to create the perfect occasion.
The fun begins at the bizarreness of the nuptials which are being organised but then it becomes clear that the groom (Felipe Gabriel Xavier) is a man of colour and Cibulskis hasn't been told.
Why has his wife (Gabriele Martirosian) kept this detail from him? Because she knows he will flip his lid!
And, of course, that is exactly what he does when he is face to face with his prospective son-in-law.
So, he sets about trying to stop the wedding with myriad madcap schemes which are bound to go wrong.
It appears to be the intention of Imported Groom's makers to make comedy by showing Cibulskis's racism to be ridiculous.
My fear is that the message may be too subtle for some of the thick-heads who will watch it.
So that poses the question - is it not better to cosign racism to the bin rather than bring it under unnecessary spotlight via an unfunny comedy?
I prefer the former to the latter.

Reasons to watch: Rare opportunity to watch a Lithuanian comedy
Reasons to avoid: racism in the name of comedy

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 3/10

Did you know? In 2010, Lithuania's Supreme Court legalised the term “Ni***r”, concluding that the term is not racially discriminatory when simply referring to a black person.

The final word. Producer Zilvinas Naujokas: "When I first found out about Ukrainian Wedding movie, I loved the concept so much. We found it very funny and the subject is as relevant in Lithuanian as it is in Ukraine, so I’m sure, having an updated script and local Lithuanian cast will make another great comedy." Film UA

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