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Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite (2001)
Audrey is Charming, the Story is Not
As almost all the other reviews observe, this film is a disappointment, and for mostly the same reasons already mentioned. I would only add a couple other points. First, I do not find Edouard Baer's a sympathetic character at all - he is very pushy and aggressive with Michele (Tautou's character) and it is a real turn-off from the beginning. The age difference between them is obvious and awkward, as Tautou really plays the wide-eyed, ditsy innocent in this film, to Baer's often angry and inscrutable character, not made any clearer by the jump-cut style. (Though I liked the cut and fade style a lot, in most places; it allowed the story to move steadily.) Second, while potentially a deep subject, the "religious quest" element is done in the air of a light romantic comedy, and this is at base slightly inappropriate and not carried off well. Third, the most interesting relationships in the film are arguably those between Michele and her troubled family, where we might see some healing and emotional growth, but these are not well and clearly developed at all. Michele has serious father issues, a primary source of her vulnerability which makes Baer's pursuit of her smack of exploitation and pedophilia.
The above flaws in combination result in the impression that, though the work of a woman - Pascale Bailly - the film comes off slightly misogynistic. Tautou's character is made fun of, and not redeemed by positive developments in the story. Baer treats her like a child and is not disciplined by the story line for doing so; indeed, in the inconclusive ending we see him pushing himself on her again, with the hint that he will likely be allowed to succeed. Tautou really shines and is a pleasure to watch, but basically no other element of the film works well. Pas de cigare.
Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants (2004)
Clever Relationship Movie About Adult Life
This is one of the more interesting and clever French films of recent times. Yes, it dips into cliché and stereotype territory occasionally, but the dialogue and complex relationships between the actors keep it fresh and enjoyable to the end. Though intended to be just about guys of a certain age and their romantic problems (see Attal's interview in the DVD bonus features), I would say the women steal the show in many ways. Charlotte Gainsbourg is truly wonderful and delivers a very emotional, multi-dimensional performance. Ditto for the beautiful Angie David, playing Attal's mistress. But watch out for Emmanuelle Seigner! She is hilarious as Alain Chabat's ball-busting wife, and deserves to have her screen-time doubled at least. (Indeed, though this film is a sensitive treatment of the serious subject of the pain of infidelity, there are several moments where one loses one's breath laughing.) Attal adds interesting, unusual elements, such as the periodic food/water fights with his wife and Johnny Depp's superb cameos, and overall does a commendable job with the script.
Analytic sidebar: Reading between the lines, it appears that this film is intended to convey the message that having a mistress is okay, and the alternate ending (DVD bonus features again) reveals Attal cagily continuing his affair to the end (though this ending did not test well - tellingly - and was changed for the final release). Attal reveals in the bonus interview that he purposely portrayed his wife as a wonderful, understanding, gem of a woman and yet wanted to show that it was still also okay for his character to have a mistress. This adds an extra splash of perverse pathos to the film - Attal writing a script about how it's okay for him to have a mistress, and then casting his own wife in the role of his on-screen wife. Ouch. A bit self-serving in retrospect (though, to be fair, never creeping into Woody Allen territory). Stiff upper lip, Charlotte.
In sum, a fine film, innovative in pleasant ways, and full of great performances.
Franck Spadone (1999)
Paint Dries in 85 Minutes
Can one make an interesting film using only about 5-600 words of dialogue? Perhaps, but this film isn't it. Monica Bellucci says about 40-50 words, for example; Stanislas Menhar has about 20, at most (were no mimes available for his role?). Almost nothing happens for the first 75 minutes or so, then there is three minutes of moderate excitement and then the credits roll. Ten minutes of plot is stretched to 85 minutes of film. And "action" as such takes place off-camera for the most part, a nice technique, though problematic in a film where almost nothing is going to happen anyway. So this film is comprised primarily of meaningful looks and extended silences - a brief question, a long pause, no answer, cut to next scene. Not a recipe for scintillating cinema. But it must have been easy to write, and with a six or seven page script, photocopying costs were certainly low. No action, no plot twists (this would require a plot), no chases, no comedic moments, no nudity. There is some nice camera work - still lifes mostly. Do they make films for tax write-off purposes in France? Je ne sais pas, but that might explain things. If you have A LOT of time on your hands, check this film out.