Of course we know of how the different races in Malaysia sometimes see each other in an ugly light, and of course we know people can overcome any unsurmountable obstacles when they try. Perhaps I was hoping a bit more when the film got past the prologue with the school hall lights switching on in sequence, hoping for something new. All is not lost, I actually enjoyed Azean Irdawaty’s portrayal of Hafiz’s terminally ill mother and a no-frills Jaclyn Victor as Bhavani. A case of the supporting players upstaging the main characters? Don’t get me started with the English accents spoken by Melur’s younger sister and grandmother (her mix of the Queen’s English with a dash of Yorkshire was obviously a case of trying too hard).
As for Pisau Cukur, from the get go the film is all bubble-gummy sweet with a hint of Reese Witherspoon (the attitude, not the plot – think Legally Blonde, perhaps) and filled with eye candy *leleh*. Bernard Chauly and Rafidah Abdullah did it with Gol & Gincu playing up urban Malaysia to the max, and Pisau Cukur may well has upped the ante, with all the designer label references and its good looking cast. It is a fun film to watch, provided you just take it as it is and not put your Leonard Maltin hat on. Despite the gedikness of the two gold-digging protagonists, I thought Nur Fazura (Intan) and Maya Karin (Bella) pulled it off quite well (believe you me, I’ve seen girls who talk like that in real life). From attempts in landing a rich datuk of a husband, the plot evolved into a murder mystery filled with its twists and turns – which thankfully wasn’t that convoluted.
