7/10
An unconventional "rom-com"
31 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I don't even know how much this film falls under the "rom-com" category, although it is classified as one. There are comic elements as much as in real life, so nothing that emphasized or exaggerated. The guy's crush on the girl is evident pretty soon, because he takes every chance he gets to be in her company. The girl on the other hand is cold towards him and understandably so, since they met on bad terms (hence the English translation of the title, love at first fight). The girl is a cold person in general, at least until you get to know her better. I don't think it was actually love at first fight. But I do think they were interested in one another when the fight was sprung onto them. It was both exciting and humiliating (mostly for the guy). I think he was preoccupied with thoughts of the girl because it was a weird and uncommon experience for him. She intrigued him. And so when the girl's parents hired the guy to build them a shed next to their house, it was an irresistible opportunity to observe the 'eccentric' girl and get closer to her. Honestly, the girl had issues with anger management, she felt self-entitled and was downright mean sometimes. Stubborn, also. I like that she 'took no sh*t' and it was admirable how persistent she was in learning survival. She was preparing herself in case of a world crisis. And it's not even 'in case' anymore. It's just a matter of when and what will come first, and will it catch us in our lifetime. Although the boot camp was a joke in opposition to what she came for, the concept of something like a survival course attracted me. The movie also shows us how dangerous living alone can be, and how hard "passing the time" can be, unless you're with someone you're attracted to :) There was only one intimate scene and one sudden kiss some time before it. They never became a giggly and gooey couple, it's not in their nature. I think that the guy is tougher than he seems and the girl is 'softer' than she seems. They just take a different approach towards things. The guy is more easy going and passionate, he has his head in the clouds and is easily influenced. He's a nice guy. The girl keeps to herself and is more goal-orientated, and in doing so is passive in other aspects of life. She has a 'dont mess with me' aura to her and she aspires to be tough. In my opinion, they complement each other well. They bring out the stuff that's less noticeable in one another. They went through some phases of negligence and got burned. Literally. But in the end, there's no denying they both had a lot of fun and learned some good lessons. French films hardly ever disappoint. Something worth noting is that this film has an original soundtrack and it's pretty cool. I'd recommend this movie if you're looking for something 'light'. As in, not so extreme that you'll cry your eyes out, or be filled with hate and fear, and not so sappy that it kills brain cells. 10 - 3 because the acting wasn't that good. That's usually how it is with two people who like each other. It's mostly them goggling at one another. I didn't feel that much passion between them. The culmination of course was their scene of intimacy. I have to admit it got my heart beating faster and some other things haha I'm sorry for constantly referring to them as 'the guy' and 'the girl', I forgot their names and didn't think it would be that significant. That's that.
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