Undemanding little piffle that concerns the elderly Jewish proprietor (Jonathan Pryce) of a struggling Kosher bakery in London’s East End . Nat has continued the vocation of his father. However his little business has fallen on hard times due to local competition. Rather than follow in Nat’s footsteps, his own married son (Daniel Caltagirone) has become a lawyer. He encourages Nat to sell the shop. To add insult to injury, Nat’s sole employee has recently quit to go work for what can only be referred to as his evil competitor, a grocery-store chain called Cotton’s. In a bind, he hesitantly hires Ayyash (Holder), a young Muslim immigrant (Jerome Holder) from Africa.
Dough is just as cliched as it sounds. Ayyash is a troubled teen who also happens to deal marijuana. Trying to juggle both jobs is not easy. Wacky shenanigans ensue. I won’t spoil a specific plot point because it is the only thing that occurs that is mildly unpredictable. Although even the trailer gives that away. Sprinkle in a villainous corporate type (Philip Davis), a local drug kingpin (Ian Hart), a love interest (Pauline Collins) and a story that wildly careens from sensitive drama into a zany heist movie. The store’s problems are ultimately fixed with a happy solution that seemingly solves all their woes out of thin air. The remedy is cheekily independent of all the convoluted developments we have endured. It renders everything we watched irrelevant, but then we wouldn’t have a movie, would we?
Dough is pleasant enough. If you’re looking for a sweet British confection that doesn’t tax your brain, you should be entertained. Jonathan Pryce and Jerome Holder are working with cardboard characters but they give them life. They are captivating despite the utter predictability of the narrative. I mean, how much do you wanna bet that these disparate individuals will eventually learn to embrace each other’s differences by the end? This is essentially one of those culture clash sitcoms from the 1970s with a few minor tweaks. Anyone remember Chico and the Man? I miss that show.
05-12-16
Fast Film Reviews 
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