Heartbreaker (2010)

L'arnacoeur

Alex make a living of ruining relationships, but only if they aren't really happy. Not a very decent way of living, and not such a great setting for the genre either. The rest is pretty much standard Rom-Com stuff, except it's just not funny or romantic. The Monte Carlo location is beautiful, and that's something I guess.

Shall We Kiss? (2007)

Un baiser s'il vous plaît

Sometimes a movie gets so naive it can't work on any level above its own bottom line. This is one of those.

A lot of the scenes comes from unrealistic moments, aiming for intimacy and failing largely. Others are filled with weak dialogue and misplaced interruptions of the storyline.

There's a very few original thoughts behind the plot that makes it avoid the overwhelming fiasco it so easily could have been, but just barely so.

Anything for Her (2008)

Pour elle

This is a classic three acts thriller, changing direction for each act. While it might not stand out on either one, that's also what makes it stand out enough as a whole. It feels real, it doesn't hand the protagonist remarkable skills or odd abilities to avoid feelings and pain.

Diane Kruger was the main reason I got to this before checking out the remake with Crowe and Banks, and Kruger is as usually brilliant. Still. This is more about Vincent Lindon's character than anything else, and he does a great job coming across as the teacher going to lengths for his love.

For some it might feel to slow in the beginning, but it lays the groundwork for what's to come. It allows us to get to know these characters and their pain. I for one appreciate the way it's done.

Amélie (2001)

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Writer: Scenario: Guillaume Laurant, Jean-Pierre Jeunet Dialogue: Guillaume Laurant
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta, Serge Merlin, Jamel Debbouze, Clotilde Mollet, Claire Maurier, Isabelle Nanty, Domenique Pinon, Artus de Penguern, Yolande Moreau, Urbain Cancellier
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

La fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain tells the story of our peculiar everyday heroine Amélie Poulain (Tautou). Amélie didn't go to school thanks to her MD father misdiagnosing her with a heart condition at early age. As a result her mother teaches her at home and Amélie grows up a lonely child, but with a huge imagination. While her mother die when she's still young, Amélie's imaginative ways stays with her as her comforting guidance through life.

At the night Lady Di's death is reported in the news, Amélie is now a young woman making a discovery which will change her life forever. While this movie starts out with a storytelling many might find annoying or unimaginative, it soon gets under your skin and you'll start enjoying it thanks to the feel and atmosphere it adds. I might even go as far as saying it would be very difficult to come close to the same quality doing it any other way.

While there's no shortage of characters in this movie, Audrey Tautou's absolutely brilliant performance as Amélie stands out. She's no doubt the perfect cast, and elevates the experience throughout the movie. Kassovitz is also a joy to experience as the second name on the poster, but there's no shortage of good acting in this fine French movie currently ranked 47th at IMDB. Amélie of Monmartre's story is surely one not to be missed.

Hunting and Gathering (2007)

Ensemble, c'est tout (internationally titled Hunting and Gathering) is a movie filled with warmth and heart, but it's sadly also a very predictable movie. As usual with European movies, there's a lot more depth, realism and focus on human growth, than in Hollywood productions in general.

Audrey Tautou, Guillaume Canet, Laurent Stocker and Françoise Bertin all delivers great acting performances, but at the end of the day the predictable storyline keeps the movie grounded at only a decent level of quality.

This is the second French movie I've seen this summer, and as last time Audrey Tautou is playing the female lead just like she did in the charming Priceless earlier reviewed here. The good news is there's still a lot of interesting movies starring her I haven't yet seen, and after these recent ones I'm eager to dig deeper into her filmography.

Priceless (2006)

Original title: Hors de prix
Director: Pierre Salvadori
Writer: Scenario: Pierre Salvadori, Benoît Graffin Dialogue: Pierre Salvadori Script consultant: Franck Bauchard
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh, Marie-Christine Adam, Vernon Doubtcheff
Genre: Rom-Com

Priceless is French (and originally titled Hors de prix), and I'd like to start off by admitting I usually don't tend to like the language or the movies coming from there, maybe with the exception of Luc Besson's. The premise is a female gold digger mistaking a working hotel bartender for another rich man and after their night together she leaves still without knowing the truth, and one year later they meet again at the same hotel the bartender works at.

It sounds sleazy, or at least easy, but they have made it into a more charming and a much funnier little story than I feared. I was pleasantly surprised by their choices for the story, by the mood set and the small funny parts done a lot better than the American romantic comedies like this rarely manage. I'm not completely in love with Gad Elmaleh as the male lead 'Jean', but Audrey Tautou is absolutely great as 'Irène'.