My Beautiful Laundrette
“A sharp, sophisticated, funny, sexy, compassionate picture.”
Stephen FrearsCast
Daniel Day-Lewis Gordon Warnecke
Saeed Jaffrey
Credits
Written by:
Hanif Kureishi
Plot
In Thatcher's London, Omar, a young British Pakistani man, is given a run-down launderette by his uncle and sets about turning it into a smart business. He is joined by Johnny, a white former street fighter and childhood friend, and their relationship develops into a love affair, in the face of racism and ambition. Stephen Frears's 1985 film, written by Hanif Kureishi, was a breakthrough for British independent cinema.
Sinekatalog’s take
Stephen Frears's Thatcher-era drama of a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and his old friend is witty, political and tender. Daniel Day-Lewis shines, and the film's casual treatment of race and sexuality was groundbreaking.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.
Ratings
IMDb: 6.8 / 10 (18,979 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.
If you liked this
Picked by director, genre, era and shared cast. Titles only, no spoilers.
- Deep End 1970 · Jerzy Skolimowski · IMDb 7.1 · Viewers also liked
- Empire of Light 2022 · Sam Mendes · IMDb 6.7 · Viewers also liked
- Dangerous Liaisons 1988 · Stephen Frears · IMDb 7.5 · Same director
- Gregory's Girl 1980 · Bill Forsyth · IMDb 7.1 · Same movement
- Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994 · Mike Newell · IMDb 7.1 · Same movement
- The Knack... and How to Get It 1965 · Richard Lester · IMDb 6.2 · Viewers also liked