What happens when a young Jewish Lothario falls in love with a Kurdish beauty?
In the Independent feature - David & Layla - there's a lot of hand-wringing by the doting parents and fervent prayers for guidance from Allah and Abraham alike.
The romantic comedy was directed by Jay Jonroy and is set in New York.
In eye-catching opening scenes, interlaced with the credits, there are an enticing array of cultural images to digest.
In fact, the vivid montage sets an inviting tone as the upbeat storyline quickly unfolds.
The main character (David Moscow) - the producer of an ingenuous sex-show for cable - bumps into an exotic young woman on the street and cupid comes calling.
Fearing his "faith" might repel the green-card-seeking Immigrant (yes, there are a couple of subplots), the gushing romantic tells a fib. Under the guise of being Agnostic, he ardently pursues the woman in spite of protests from his devout conservative Jewish family.
Besides the religious differences, there are a number of other complications for the young horndog to surmount.
For example, there is the issue of his "tubes"; David reluctantly agreed to have them tied to appease a former girlfriend, not anxious to bear child.
On the threshold of marriage, a disheartened Layla (played by Shiva Rose) and her long-suffering parents are disturbed to learn that something funny is going on down there with David's "chromosomes".
In one amusing scene, Layla refers to him as a "unich".
"Eunuch", he protests without batting an eyelash.
At this juncture, she laments, "I Divorce You. I Divorce You. I Divorce you."
In some cultures, this is sufficient to cut the ties that bind, apparently.
Yes, it doth appear the coupling is doomed!
But, by way of a couple of amusing plot-twists, all the wrinkles are ironed out.
A festive Kurdish wedding heralds a titillating finale complete with marijuana-laced (green spice, eh?) banquet food enlivening the spirits of the unsuspecting guests.
There are a number of jokes at the expense of each faith - good-natured, nothing hateful - but throughout the film the Director/writer appears to be preoccupied with sex.
Maybe he was inclined to hold to the truism that "sex" sells and ventured down this path for commercial reasons.
But in this regard the script creaks; the gags are middle-aged - cliche - in fact.
For instance, in one scene the young man's parents wrestle over the issue of her performing a naughty sex act below the waist; in another, a hot-to-trot twosome interrupt a moment of ardent lovemaking to quarrel about condoms.
The material here is not fresh or original; it's pretty-familiar territory explored quite thoroughly - and exhaustively - in the genre in more provocative ways elsewhere.
"Layla & David" is bolstered - and succeeds admirably - in the main storyline that focuses on the clash of cultures and faith.
In a country like the burgeoning United States - where a melting pot is becoming more the norm - films focused on Interracial Marriage issues are ripe for the marketplace.
Although not a stellar piece of work, "David & Layla" is fun, entertaining, and worth the price of admission.
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