French Film (2008) User Reviews

Light comedy without much funny

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 9 April 2014]

Jed (Hugh Bonneville) writes interviews. His latest being French romance director Thierry Grimandi. He is in a comfortable relationship with his girl Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton) for 10 years. When he asks her to marry him, she says no which sends their relationship spiraling. They get couple counseling where they are asked if they were ever in love. Directo Grimandi's musing on love forces him to reevaluate everything. Their best friends Marcus (Douglas Henshall) and Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff)'s relationship starts with her stopping him from committing suicide. Their bond seems unbreakable but even they are having problems as Marcus seems to be a clueless idiot.

This is a light comedy. It is so light that I didn't laugh much at all. Jed is hopelessly unromantic that he is actually annoying. He is deliberately clueless. Grimandi may be speaking a lot of overly complicated phrases but it's not that hard to understand. The only saving grace is the winning Hugh Bonneville. But even with him, I didn't find any of the relationships that compelling. I can't be required to care more about their relationship than the characters do.

'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien', but in English......

[gradyharp · 8/10 · 29 August 2012]

British films have a certain flavor of sophistication even when they are dealing with stories about Brits in their long time foes - the French! Aschlin Ditta came up with this little story that is subtle, thought provoking, and warmly humorous as directed by Jackie Oudney and acted by a superb cast - a film that engages the audience's own life and relationships.

Jed (Hugh Bonneville) has been in a ten year relationship with Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton), plans to marry her, but discover they don't love each other after all. Jed is a magazine feature writer who, as the movie opens, is grumbling about his upcoming interview with a fatuous French cineaste and love guru Thierry Grimaldi (ex-soccer player Eric Cantona) whose theories about love Hugh finds ludicrous...and overly 'French'. Jed's best friend Marcus (Douglas Henshall) madly loves his girlfriend Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff), or so he says, before a chance encounter with his first love of 20 years before. Marcus wants to run off to Paris to marry her, leaving Sophie behind, loveless and forlorn. Of course it all works out for the best, but it is the getting there as acted out by these fine thespians that make the film a joy. Subtlety, innuendos, and halting conversations make this an adult romantic comedy able to carry enough weight to make is significant entertainment.

Grady Harp

A slow, boring talkfest

[groggo · 3/10 · 27 February 2009]

I find British film exports generally very good to superb, but this one is an exception. It's billed (even on IMDb) as a comedy/romance, and someone should sue for false advertising. With the exception of the first five minutes, there is barely a desperately needed laugh in the entire movie. The rest of the 88 minutes is basically people yakking endlessly about love and romance, to the point where it is waist-deep in a slow-moving (at times static) 'narrative'.

Generous critics of this movie might want to call it a satire of the differences between British and French versions of love. And indeed it could have worked if the direction allowed it to 'breathe' as a satire. But it doesn't. Attempts at satire are sabotaged by the ponderous weight of the dialogue.

Hugh Bonneville plays Jed, who wants to marry his girlfriend of 10 years (Cheryl, played by Victoria Hamilton). But they discover they don't really love each other at all, thanks to the probing of a French psychiatrist and a French filmmaker who specializes in affaires d'amour. Meanwhile, Jed's best friend Marcus (Douglas Henshall) madly loves his girlfriend Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff), or so he says, before a chance encounter with his first love of 20 years before. Marcus wants to run off to (where else?) Paris to marry her, leaving Sophie behind, loveless and forlorn. But wait: Jed is also loveless and forlorn. Gosh, do you think maybe they'll get together? This wildly telegraphed ending comes about the 55-minute mark. The rest of the film is mere padding for the clichéd finale.

This movie cries out for some light touches here and there to air out its stuffiness. It is dirge-deep in talk of love and romance. Director Jackie Oudney has apparently never heard of the eloquence of silence in film.

A Thinking Person's Film

[Tyger-Flynn · 10/10 · 1 July 2009]

Rare in these days that a film of this depth was successfully made - while still being funny, which will throw some people off because they will assume it's just a frothy romantic comedy with a few pertinent things to say. It even gets better with each successive viewing - which makes a DVD purchase a must for those who understand why this film received two awards at Monte Carlo (for Best Actor and Best Screenplay). May be too subtle for some who are looking for a broad stroke - but it is laughing out loud funny in many parts (if you get the complexity) due to the writing, directing and excellent ensemble cast. They all do well but of special note is Hugh Bonneville (who won for Best Actor at Monte Carlo) as the lead character Jed. Douglas Henshall is his best friend Marcus and Anne-Marie Duff and Victoria Hamilton are the girlfriends.

Eric we love you... !

[sp2303 · 1/10 · 21 June 2009]

Eric is great. Eric is just playing Eric. The rest is truly bad. What happened to the British film making fraternity that it assumes that everyone is interested in the middle class creative's life? No.. only they are.. that is why this wasn't a hit because nobody else cares. The interminable snowball of emotional layer cake that formulates these films stifles any real achievements with dialogue or characterisation and swallows it up with the cheesy endings. This stuff belongs on ITV on a Sunday night and nowhere else.

What is a shame about this film is that it could have been interesting, it could have had an idea but it leaves it behind and tries to become Notting Four Weddings and a Hill. Please go away.. watch Hunger... and come back and try again. But please.. until you can get rid of the 'rom-com' fixation.. do not.. I repeat.. do not.. see me!

lovely, funny and thought-provoking film

[Semiotecs · 8/10 · 5 March 2011]

This is a lovely, funny and thought-provoking film which draws together the best elements of Nora Ephron's romantic comedies and Richard Curtis's London movies, with great nods to classic Woody Allen. It's a comedy about uncovering the truth in long-term relationships and finding out what you really want in life; one of my friends who watched it with me began to examine the parallels to his own long-term relationship. It's a film that runs deep. The story is about a magazine editor and a writer (Hugh Bonneville) from London who see a couple counselor as their long-term relationship begins to collapse. Their best friends' relationship is also in crisis. The solutions to all their problems appear within the 'films within the film' of a super smooth French expert on love, movie director Thierry Grimandi (a pitch perfect performance by former soccer player Eric Cantona), on whom the writer is writing a feature. The film is clever, funny and emotionally truthful and the parodies of the French director's films are spot on.

Confused and mediocre film

[Jodro2 · 4/10 · 2 October 2015]

I won't bother describing the plot here, as that can be found everywhere else on this page. I just want to add that many reviewers appear to have missed two giant holes in the heart of this movie.

The first is that Grimandi, the French film maker, played by Eric Cantona, is at the same time presented as a parody of a Frenchman, and as the all-knowing hero on the issue of love.

And so we have two couples from the British Isles, fairly stereotypical in their stuck-upness (apart from Irishman Marcus, who, frankly, appears rather mad) falling in love and rediscovering their passion for life, inspired by the completely inane musings of chain-smoking Grimandi, which are, even as they are parodied, taken as the gospel.

If the movie had taken some of Grimandi's advice with a grain of salt, or at least cast doubt on it, the audience would have been pushed to make up its own mind over its merits. As it is it's accepted hook-line and sinker, and hence the movie comes across as naive and one-dimensional. Are the Brits that gullible and naive and desperate for love to accept anything a Frenchman says on the topic?

This relates to the second hole, which is that it is true that the French culture in general (I live in France, so should know) seems to be in the thralls of one particular kind of love, romantic love. So intense, passionate feelings are sought and celebrated, falling in love is glorified and often happens despite oneself, and even the law here allows for 'crime of passion' as a defence.

There's a lot to be said for the idea of following one's passion and letting things hang loose and not be so stuck up and repressed, but at the same time many wiser people have noted that none of these things have anything to do with love in the deeper sense, ie what the Greeks call agape, and which has to do with responsibility, commitment, kindness, caring, understanding, and so on.

Instead Grimaldi, and with that the movie, glorifies what can also be described as hormone-driven infatuation. Even a light, humorous movie like this could have played on this theme a bit. But it didn't. So yes, the movie did make me think, but not in the way the makers intended, I'm sure!

Light Harted Indulgence

[thomas-187 · 9/10 · 3 March 2009]

What starts out as a frustrating to watch romantic comedy grew on me as I realized that the frustration was from a sensation of intensely identifying with the story.

Sure it is a bit wordy and perhaps navel, but so are we. In our intellectual approach to living our so called perfect urban lives. Hugh Bonneville is funny and believable and the character I gravitated towards. Eric Cantona is a bit stiff, but pulls of the role and the chicks love him.

This will play best with 30 something women as a hangover pull your feet up, giggle and reflect kind of film.

strongly recommended

[d-gill-53-576650 · 9/10 · 13 May 2011]

I caught this is a repeat on BBC i-Player and I was very pleasantly surprised. This was the best film that I have seen in a few years. Not pretentious at all, but a well-made sweet film with some very human themes. The acting was just great and really believable. Cantona adds a nice touch - especially for those United fans who remember that Kung-fu kick and the sardines... What I liked most was how the script was so realistic and yet incorporated so many funny lines; I was cracking up with laughter and then almost had tears in my eyes... Really nice one!

This won't appeal to everyone though - a couple of the reviewers tried to compare this to Notting Hill - please!!!

Very Good Adult Film

[woodskimberli · 10/10 · 30 May 2012]

This is one of the most thought provoking movies I have ever seen. It starts out somewhat slow but if you watch and listen It makes you think about your own life and relationships. One of the main reason this movie caught my attention is because you are watching Grown Adults interact with other Adults. It does not take place around teenagers or pubescent young people. It deals with real life issues that can happen. I have basically given up on most movies that deal with relationships or romance because they basically are the same script over and over and over. This is why when I was turning the channel the movie was coming on and it caught my eye and I decided just to give it a chance, I am so bored with all of the teenage vampire movies, movies about tweens who are in high school, or teens who are in college and they want to date the jock or the cheerleader, or the most popular boy or girl, if you have seen one you have seen them all. So to see a movie with an Adult cast that actually said something, I was pleasantly shocked. I guess I don't have to watch old movies to get a movie with an actual plot I will be looking for more of the same.

Lovely, tender satire a la Woody Allen

[bmeuse1 · 9/10 · 12 May 2012]

Lovely, tender slice of the lives of a well-drawn characters engaged in a neurotic pursuit of real feelings - that is, love. Each well-drawn character is afflicted by the very human condition of an uncertain mind and a vacillating heart. Their insecurities drive their pursuit to know their own heart as they try to stimulate genuine feelings they haven't felt for a long time. Nice pacing, nice cinematography, simple dialog, and very good acting. The film lies astride the merge between wry comedy and tender drama. For me, this is much enjoyable and absorbing film in the tradition of Woody Allen.This is a wonderful take of life and love and a film that resonates in the heart. If you don't enjoy this film, you don't have a heart. Recommended for romantics of all ages. A must-see.

Entertaining Light Comedy about Love!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 7 June 2013]

Hugh Bonneville plays a reporter who will interview a French film director whose best works are about love films between men and women. He has been with the same woman, his girlfriend for 10 years and she doesn't want to marry him. His best male friend has reunited with an old girlfriend but is still involved with somebody else/ The film is about the British traditional view of relationships against the French film versions of love and romance. The acting is first rate with co-stars Victoria Hamilton and Ann-Marie Duff. This film was made for British audiences. I was lucky to have got and see only half of it because my DVD copy (I bought it from Blockbuster) at a discount rate before the store closed forever. I would like to know what happened in the end to all of them.