Not Quite Paradise
{{about|the 1985 film|the Bliss 66 song|Titan A.E.#Music}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Not Quite Paradise
| image = Not Quite Paradise.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = Lewis Gilbert
| producer = {{ubl|Lewis Gilbert|William P. Cartlidge}}
| writer = Paul Kember
| narrator =
| starring = {{ubl|Joanna Pacuła|Sam Robards|Kevin McNally|Todd Graff|Selina Cadell|Ewan Stewart}}
| music = {{ubl|Gian Piero Reverberi|Rondo Veneziano}}
| cinematography = Tony Imi
| editing = Alan Strachan
| distributor = {{ubl|J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK)|Anchor Bay Entertainment (US)}}
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1985|03|28|UK|1986|06|06|US}}
| runtime = 114 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Not Quite Paradise is a 1985 British comedy-drama 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 kibbutzim, Eilot and Grofit, as well as at the Mikveh Israel Agricultural School.{{IMDb title|id=0091652|title=Not Quite Paradise}}
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
{{cast listing|
- Joanna Pacuła as Gila
- Sam Robards as Mike
- Kevin McNally as Pete
- Todd Graff as Rothwell T. Schwartz
- Selina Cadell as Carrie
- Ewan Stewart as Angus
- Bernard Strother as Dave
- Kate Ingram as Grace
- Gary Cady as Steve
- Naomi Rosenberg as Finnish Twin
- Schuli Rosenberg as Finnish Twin
- Yaacov Ben Sira as Dobush
- Esti-Katz as Rivka
- Aharon Greener as Asher
- Zafrir Kochanovsky as Menachem
- Libby Morris as Mrs. Schwartz
- Bernard Spear as Mr. Schwartz
- Poly Reshef as Ami
- Irit Frank as Nurse
}}
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."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/06/movies/film-gilbert-s-not-quite-paradise.html|work=The New York Times|title=FILM: GILBERT'S 'NOT QUITE PARADISE'|first=Nina|last=Darnton|date=6 June 1986|access-date=17 April 2022}} Joe Baltake of Philly.com called it "annoyingly schizophrenic – thuddingly humorless when it isn't shockingly offensive."{{cite news|url=http://articles.philly.com/1986-09-08/entertainment/26073637_1_kibbutz-ugly-duckling-arrivals|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921040804/http://articles.philly.com/1986-09-08/entertainment/26073637_1_kibbutz-ugly-duckling-arrivals|work=Philly.com|title='Not Quite Paradise': Not Quite On The Mark|first=Joe|last=Baltake|date=8 September 1986|archive-date=21 September 2015}} In a savage review in the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Goldstein 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."{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-11-ca-20124-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306033212/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-07-11/entertainment/ca-20124_1_kibbutz|work=Los Angeles Times|title=Movie Review : 'Not Quite Paradise' Is Not Quite That Funny|first=Patrick|last=Goldstein|author-link=Patrick Goldstein|date=11 July 1986|archive-date=6 March 2016}}
London's Time Out 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."{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/63573/not-quite-jerusalem.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308181458/http://www.timeout.com/london/film/not-quite-jerusalem|work=Time Out|title=Not Quite Jerusalem {{!}} TIME OUT SAYS|archive-date=8 March 2016}} 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."{{cite web|url=http://movies.tvguide.com/not-quite-jerusalem/review/107826|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306152830/http://www.tvguide.com/movies/not-quite-jerusalem/review/107826|work=TV Guide|title=Not Quite Jerusalem {{!}} 1985 {{!}} MOVIE|archive-date=6 March 2016}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0091652|title=Not Quite Paradise}}
- {{Rotten-tomatoes|not_quite_paradise|Not Quite Paradise}}
- {{TCMDb title|id=85256|title=Not Quite Paradise}}
- {{Mojo title|notquiteparadise}}
{{Lewis Gilbert}}
Category:Films about the kibbutz
Category:Films about medical students
Category:Films directed by Lewis Gilbert
Category:British films based on plays
Category:British comedy-drama films
Category:New World Pictures films