Director Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham), working from a screenplay by Ayub Khan-Din (East is East), takes a warm-hearted and funny look at some serious issues affecting the British South Asian community.

Atul (Reece Ritchie) and Vina (Amara Karan) are newlyweds who find themselves stuck at his parents’ terraced house in Bolton when their honeymoon plans fall through. Unable to consummate their marriage because of interfering relatives, most notably Atul’s ever-present larger-than-life father Eeshwar (Harish Patel), the couple’s relationship starts to fall apart. All in Good Time paints an affectionate portrait of Indian culture whilst adding elements that are more universal, and shows that even close-knit communities aren’t impervious to malicious gossip. At the heart of the story is a family crisis many of us will find all too familiar, where a father, stuck in the past, has no idea how to relate to the stranger in the house, his grown-up son.

While the film has its fair share of bawdy jokes and innuendo, in the hands of Cole this story is as much about the bittersweet drama of life as it is about laughs. A truly wonderful ensemble cast is led by the sympathetic Patel, whose blundering but kind-hearted Eeshwar will surely be a new addition to the canon of classic British characters. Highly recommended, All in Good Time is a very entertaining way to spend an afternoon or evening.