What is sad about the movie Bolbol Hayran (Bolbol is Confused) is that it marks actor Ahmed Helmy’s return to cheap comedy after a series of intelligent movies with interesting plots. Helmy, whose previous three movies were a great success, brings a few laughs to his audience in Bolbol Hayran. However, the jokes seem silly and the storyline is highly predictable.
The story of the movie is chronicled through a number of flashbacks. Helmy plays a successful engineer and womanizer called Bolbol–a name with sexual connotation in Egyptian culture. After waking up in a hospital after an unknown accident with broken bones and a damaged ego, Bolbol spends his recovery time telling his female doctor Amal (played by Emy Samir Ghanim) about the events that landed him in the hospital.
Bolbol is a womanizer, who picks up girls left and right. He, however, falls for the independent, upper-class and open-minded Yasmin (played by Zina) and asks for her hand in marriage. The happy days are soon over, as Bolbol meets Hala (played by Shereen Adel). Hala is a middle-class, totally dependent and perfect-to-be-housewife. Bolbol breaks up with Yasmin and asks Hala to marry him. An accident–which we mistakenly think is the one that had him hospitalized–causes him to lose his memory of the past six months, including his relationships with both Hala and Yasmin.
While preparing for his wedding to Hala, he meets Yasmin and falls for her yet again, asking her to marry him. The story goes on counting the number of times Bolbol has searched for the "perfect woman" to end his suffering and confusion. She might even be Dr. Amal, to whom he tells the story.
It seems to the audience that Helmy, who did not have a love storyline in his previous three movies, wanted to compensate for that absence in Bolbol Hayran by having three love stories amalgamated into one. The problem is that the characters of the three main women are basically simple and lack depth, barring their feelings towards the protagonist. Helmy doesn’t put any effort into making his character believable.
The main problem with the movie is the script, which seems like it was rushed in order to catch the release date. Many of the scenes could have been developed better. Sadly, all the secondary characters were uselessly stumbling around hoping for a glimpse of the camera while acting out their roles soullessly.
Previously praised for his acting, Helmy, who is known to study his characters and perfectly deliver their feelings and complexity, seems to be relying deeply on one-liners and cheap sexual jokes that bring a short giggle from the audience but don't register any lasting impact. His need to create a new style for himself in each movie has led him to change his appearance, bringing a geek-ish look to the screen. His look, as well as the stalker attitude he adopts, do not suit the womanizer role he is trying to pull off.
Actress Zena could be considered the only real talent in the movie. She brings wit and glamor to the screen that none of her female co-stars manage to do. She is funny and handles the pressure of filming perfectly, unlike the rest of the cast. Emy Samir Ghanem’s role did not help her bring her usual smart and funny self to the screen, while Shereen Adel, with her pretentious acting and over-the-top reactions, was easily forgotten after exiting the theater.
Director Khaled Marea, who directed Assef Ala Elez’ag (Sorry for the Disturbance) in 2008–Helmy’s best movie to date–continued to use wide angles and extensive close-ups, allowing the movie to slip from his fingers without one memorable master-scene.
Within five days, Bolbol Hayran succeeded in generating over LE8 million in revenue, coming in second after Adel Emam’s Zahimar, which made around LE10 million over the same period. They both come in the context of Eid film production, where mere business is at stake and revenues do not reflect quality.
It is funny that Helmy’s previous film, Assal Aswad (Molasses), released earlier this year, is still screening in movie theaters. That film had a significantly more positive impact on Helmy's career than the lackluster Bolbol Hayran.
