This movie is lushly filmed with a typically gorgeous Paris backdrop, interesting and beautiful camera work and an excellent cast. The somber beginning, as we start to get to know the central character, an elderly man with little to live for after the death of his adored wife, gives way to hope when he meets a young, vivacious Parisian and seems to kindle the desire to continue on. Is it love? No ..., not that kind of love, though there will be those who want something to spark between them. Instead we see two essentially lonely people finding someone else who can provide simple human companionship. The man's flaws begin to be explored with the arrival of his son and daughter after a failed suicide. The purpose of the daughter is beyond me as she barrels in, tries to take over the father's life, chain smokes cigarettes and bounds out just as quickly. We learn nothing from her character. The last third of the picture will drag completely as we continue to look in vain for some explanation for the characters actions. Though the banter between father and son seems on the way to enlightening us as to why they disdain each other so much, there really isn't enough here figure out how they, or we, are ever going to understand how they got to where they are. Mostly both characters engage in tedious whining about who owes who what for past insults. The real kicker is when the girl abruptly falls into the arms of the son when there has been absolutely no indication of any real attraction. The whole thing renders the ending utterly unbelievable and devoid of any real meaning. Story endings are difficult and whoever wrote this one failed miserably.
