Film review: 'Dough'

Upon entering the theater to see "Dough," one immediately gets a taste for what's in store. All the employees are wearing white aprons with the film's logo embroidered across the front. It's an inviting gesture, much like the movie itself.

Another surprise greeting appears on-screen, delivered by one of the actors, Pauline Collins, who welcomes the audience by telling us what to expect. Short and to the point, we learn that it's a movie about the importance of accepting each other and breaking bread together. Nice touch.

Cut to an elderly man rising to greet the day at 4 a.m. His name is Nat Dayan (Jonathan Pryce), a Kosher bakery owner in London's East End. The day starts out on a sour note. His only employee quits. The bakery has been in his family for more than 100 years, and Dayan would like it to stay alive. But with competition on his heels, his clientele is waning and he can't manage on his own.

Enter Ayyash (Jerome Holder), the young son of his Muslim cleaning woman. He needs a job for two reasons: to appease his mother and as a cover for his illicit income — drug dealing. Reluctantly, Dayan hires Ayyash, and the two slowly forge an unlikely friendship.

But when Ayyash accidently drops a bag of pot into the bread dough, the plot thickens and the bread sells like, well, hotcakes. Suddenly, Dayan's business is thriving as Ayyash's income soars. Needless to say, customers are very, very happy. 

Director John Goldschmidt throws a few subplots into the mix that sweeten the pie. A potential romance with the landlady, played by the wonderful Pauline Collins, who threatens to go where "old Jews" go to die (Florida), could be thwarted if Dayan doesn't board her love boat. There's also a nasty drug dealer (Ian Hart) and a nefarious developer (Philip Davis) hellbent on taking down the Jew and his Muslim buddy. 

There is a hilarious and heartwarming scene, in which Dayan insists that Ayyash teach him to dance. It's a pivotal moment in "Dough," as we realize that overcoming our differences makes us so much alike. And that a little pot can stir up a lot of fun.