''Not Quite Paradise'' is a 1985 British

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by Lewis Gilbert. It was originally released in Europe under the title ''Not Quite Jerusalem'', adapted by Paul Kember from his 1982 play of the same name. It was filmed on two

kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

im, Eilot and

Grofit Grofit ( he, גְּרוֹפִית, ''lit.'' Shoot (botany), Shoot (of a plant)) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Eilat in the Arabah region, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Eilot Regional Council. In it had a population of ...

, as well as at the Mikveh Israel Agricultural School.

Plot

Six naive British and American volunteers arrive on kibbutz Kfar Ezra for a working holiday, exchanging their labour for the opportunity to experience first-hand its unique collective lifestyle. When Mike ( Sam Robards), a young medical student, falls in love with Gila ( Joanna Pacuła), the Israeli girl who is organising the volunteers' work and accommodation, he must choose between a life with her and returning home.

Cast

Critical reception

''Not Quite Paradise'' received very poor reviews. Nina Darnton of '' The New York Times'' panned the film as "an example of a good idea spoiled by a hackneyed, heavy-handed script, awkward directorial pacing, and posed acting... The script, while trying to humorously characterize national stereotypes, succeeds only in being insulting."

Joe Baltake Joseph John Baltake Jr. (September 16, 1945 – March 26, 2020) was an American film critic, film historian, author of the film blog The Passionate Moviegoer, and a biographer of the actor Jack Lemmon. His work was syndicated by Knight-Ridder, Sc ...

of Philly.com called it "annoyingly schizophrenic – thuddingly humorless when it isn't shockingly offensive." In a savage review in the '' Los Angeles Times'',

Patrick Goldstein Patrick Goldstein is an American former film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times'' who wrote about movies in a column titled ''The Big Picture''. Colleague Tom O'Neil described him as the newspaper's "chief Oscarologist" as his colum ...

argued that an "awkward" and "uneven" script, "a paucity of intriguing characters", and an overwrought soundtrack of quivering violins "delivers a dreary, cliché-ridden film with all the wallop of a sheaf of crumbling parchment paper." London's ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' contrasted the "strong material" in Paul Kember's original play to this melodramatic, "caramelized" screen version: "Gilbert has created a toffee-apple with the apple removed: bite through the sweet crust of romantic Holy Land locations, handsome Israelis, dashing Arab terrorists and corny jokes, and what remains is sheer emptiness." '' TV Guide'' was equally dismissive, noting, "the world of an Israeli kibbutz is reduced to a few simple-minded cinematic clichés... no different from a boarding school or overnight camp. The only really indigenous thing to be found here is the beautifully photographed Israeli scenery, which borders on travelog material rather than background setting."

References

External links

* * * * * {{Lewis Gilbert 1985 films Films about the kibbutz Films directed by Lewis Gilbert British films based on plays British comedy-drama films Films shot in Israel New World Pictures films 1980s English-language films 1980s British films