🍿 What harm can a little white lie do? In the 1960’s quintessential Egyptian rom-com Esha3et 7ob, we find out for ourselves. Directed by prolific filmmaker Fatin Abdel Wahab and starring golden-age stars Omar Sharif and Soad Hosny, the film is an incredibly entertaining feel-good watch with stellar performances, great pacing, and a whole lot of comedy. Let’s dive in.

The plot: Abdel Qader (Youssef Wahbi) is a seasoned businessman who likes to play around; he doesn’t quite get along with his wife Baheega (Ehsan Sherif), skips work to go on dates and late-night benders, and gets his nephew Mahrous (Abdel Moneim Ibrahim) to cover for him. His other nephew, Hussein (Omar Sherif), is his polar opposite: respectable, put-together, and uptight with a work ethic that doesn’t budge. Hussein has one fatal flaw though: he is brutally (often rudely) honest and seemingly possesses no social filter.

His weakness? His cousin Sameha (Soad Hosny), who’s just coming home to Port Said after spending years in Cairo. Hussein is absolutely head over heels, and Abdel Qader supports the match, promising his nephew to get them married. There’s just one problem: Sameha brought a suitor home — her rich, spoiled, and (according to Abdel Qader) effeminate maternal cousin, whom her mother seems dead-set on pairing her with. Thus begins a war to woo her.

Abdel Qader concocts a plan to turn Hussein from the uptight employee to the playboy womanizer in an effort to gain Sameha’s attention, who seems inclined toward daring, confident men. The hot gossip? That Hussein has an affair with a celebrated actress (Hend Rostom). While obviously untrue, the rumor keeps on growing, with the truth looming not too far ahead.

Despite Hosny’s stellar performance, this was the Omar Sharif show. The late Egyptian actor delivered one of his best showings in Esha3et 7ob, skillfully portraying both the real awkward, yearning Hussein, and later the nonchalant serial lover. The chemistry between Hosny and Sharif is palpable, and the film’s comedic bits are perfectly timed — thanks in no small part to Wahbi’s naturally charismatic personality.

If you’ve been craving a movie night that will make you forget all about your phone (and everything else) for 90 minutes, there’s no better pick than this one. Esha3et 7ob is emblematic of the best that the golden age of Egyptian cinema had to offer — from setting to soundtrack and everywhere in between.

WHERE TO WATCH- Esha3et 7ob is streaming on Watch It.

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