''Whatever Lola Wants'' is a 2007 French-Canadian romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Nabil Ayouch Nabil Ayouch (born 1 April 1969) is a Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer. His films have screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival. Early life H ...

. The film had its world premiere on December 11, 2007 at the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announc ...

and stars

Laura Ramsey Laura Ramsey is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as 2006's ''She's the Man'' and '' The Covenant'', 2008's '' The Ruins'', 2009's '' Middle Men'', 2011's '' Kill the Irishman'', and 2013's '' A ...

as an American postal worker who travels to Egypt to seek out a legendary belly dancer. In his book ''Film in the Middle East and North Africa'' Josef Gugler commented that at the time of its release, the film had a larger budget than any previous Moroccan film and was one of the highest grossing Moroccan films for 2008.

Plot

Lola (

) is a female postal worker that dreams of becoming an oriental dancer. After a friend encourages her to perform at a local restaurant, Lola captures the attentions of the handsome Zack (

Assaad Bouab Assaad Bouab ( ar, أسعد بواب, born July 31, 1980) is a French-Moroccan actor whose first co-starring role was in ''Whatever Lola Wants'', directed by Nabil Ayouch and co-starring Laura Ramsey as Lola. The film premiered on 11 December 20 ...

). Lola follows after him, but is crushed to find that Zack is to marry someone of his family's choosing. Lola decides to turn all of her energy into making her dreams a reality and tracks down Ismahan (

Carmen Lebbos Carmen Lebbos ( ar, كارمن لبّس; born 22 February 1963) is a Lebanese theater, television, and film actress who has worked in film, television actress. Lebbos has been active since 1981; she has been in several television series and movi ...

), a reclusive dancing star that retired due to a scandal involving a mysterious lover. Although reluctant, Ismahan is persuaded into giving Lola lessons and a friendship blossoms as a result. In no time Lola becomes a professional level dancer and attracts the interest of Nasser Radi (

Hichem Rostom Hichem Rostom (26 May 1947 – 28 June 2022) was a Tunisian actor. He appeared in more than 70 films and television shows since 1987. He starred in '' Golden Horseshoes'', which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes ...

), a famous

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. His ...

. He takes her under his wing and under his tutelage Lola gets to dance at the prestigious Nile Tower. During this time Lola discovers that Nasser was Ismahan's lover and that the two were kept apart because of social conventions but also because of their own pride. As Lola's career takes off, she manages to help reunite the two former lovers before returning to New York in order to take the art she loves to her fellow Americans.

Cast

as Lola *

as Zack *

as Ismahan *

as Nasser *

Achmed Akkabi Achmed Akkabi (born 3 October 1983, in The Hague) is a Moroccan-Dutch actor. Akkabi was born and raised in The Hague into a family of six. His parents are both immigrants from Morocco. Akkabi became a national celebrity as 'Rachid the merchand ...

as Yussef *

Nadim Sawalha Nadim Joakim Sawalha ( ar, نديم صوالحة) (born 9 September 1935) is a Jordanian-British actor, the father of actresses Nadia and Julia Sawalha. He appeared in two Bond films, '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' The Living Daylights' ...

as Adham *

Mariam Fakhr Eddine Mariam Mohamed Fakhr Eddine ( ar, مريم محمد فخر الدين , 8 September 1933 – 3 November 2014) was an Egyptian film and television actress, and was the second wife of prominent filmmaker Mahmoud Zulfikar (1914-1970). She was nickna ...

as Mrs. Aida * Abdelkader Lofti as Choukri *

Roz Ryan Roz Ryan (born Rosalyn Bowen; July 7, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and comedian who has worked for productions in film, television, and Broadway theatre for over 40 years. Ryan's first role on Broadway was in '' Ain't Misbehavin, a Fa ...

as Postal Worker * Hend Sabri as Fayza * Milia Ayache as Yasmine

Reception

Critical reception for ''Whatever Lola Wants'' has been mixed, and ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that "despite a considerable number of cringe-inducing moments early on, the sheer brio of the heroine's cross-cultural antics will win over auds by the end." The '' Screen Daily'' wrote a mixed review, stating "Shot brightly in artsy-melodrama mode and garnished with an Arab-fusion soundtrack by Krishna Levy and TransGlobal Underground, ''Whatever Lola Wants'' is a polished film, but in the end it never really decides whether it wants to be a prettily packaged star-is-born tale or an all-guns-blazing social critique." ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' was also mixed, stating that while the film's music and dancing was a highlight, it ultimately "fails to engage".

Release

On December 11, 2007, the film premiered at the

in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

. It screened in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

the following year, in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

in 2009, and in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

in 2010. Its television premiere was on HBO Hungary in 2011 as ''Amit csak Lola akar''. In 2009, it had DVD premieres in France, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, Sweden, and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

References

External links

* * as archived March 28, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Whatever Lola Wants (Film) 2007 films Canadian romantic drama films 2000s English-language films English-language Canadian films English-language French films 2000s Arabic-language films Films set in Egypt Films shot in Egypt Films shot in Morocco Films shot in New York City 2007 romantic drama films Films directed by Nabil Ayouch 2000s dance films 2007 multilingual films Canadian multilingual films French multilingual films 2000s Canadian films