Der geheime Roman des Monsieur Pick

For some reason I was reminded of a song when I thought of the summary headline. If you are into R&B and Soul you may know which one I mean - but that aside, I'm bad with titles sometimes and with background checks on stories. I would assume this is a fictional story ... on the other hand - maybe it isn't? But that doesn't matter that much to me when it comes to my rating and enjoyment.

We have a book and the mystery surrounding it. So why not dive in it you ask? Well there are people involved in every book, especially family members - and then there are others who try to make some money out of things. Whether they exist or have just a place in the cemetary (no pun intended).

Suspend your disbelief and let yourself emmerge into the story - if you can do that, you will have quite some fun and suspense along the road.

I absolutely loved this movie, from the beginning till the end. It's about a book written by Mr. Pick. A tv critic doubts the authenticity of this book, so he will investigate everything about Mr. Pick's life.

France is one of the best filmmaking countries, and without a doubt a very good representation of European films.

This one fits the bill perfectly. The acting is phenomenal and so is the writing, a bit of humour is added to the mix as per usual, yet the brilliant director utilizes a sense of mystery and humanity that blenda it all very well.

It is a very well cinematographied and edited film, and the cutting is excellent. It is truly a great and suspenseful film that should definitely be experienced by any lover of film and french cinema. Definitely recommended, and the director is very promising.

I really loved this movie from the beginning to the end. Easy going, with fine specific French humor, smells like good old times, it kept my attention all the way. Great acting too. Realy refreshing!

There's a library in a French provincial town that holds the manuscripts refused by the publishers. Among those lies a book of gold - a novel that resonates with the public and becomes a bestseller. The author is Henri Pick - a man who hadn't been seen writing or reading a novel in his life time. When famous literary critic (Fabrice Luchini) claims Henri Pick had not actually written the book the public is enraged. As a result he loses his tv job and his marriage. It is now an obsession for him to prove he was right and he embarks on a hilarious journey to find the truth.

Fabrice Luchini is fantastic in the main role of literary critic gone astray, the role feels written specifically for him. If the film was made in the 80's the role could be played by Pierre Richard. Just like Richard, Luchini has a perfect balance of hilarious and dramatic and the film draws on this talent in every frame he is in.

Part intellectual mystery, part comedy, part love story, part a serious dwelling on what it means to be an artist THE MYSTERY OF HENRI PICK is almost a perfect movie. In a country where 90% of people read extensively and 70% attempt to write the next great French novel the film exist in a parallel universe from most overseas viewers. Who cares about a book unless it's Game Of Thrones or Harry Potter? But this suspension of disbelief is easy to overcome with engaging characters and quirky dialog.

The script is focused, inventive and delivers a perfect ending. It definitely tricked me. Supported by a cheeky and slightly frantic score from a young (but also a veteran in his own way) French musician Laurent Perez Del Mar, THE MYSTERY OF HENRY PICK is the best French Cinema has to offer. As much tongue in the cheek as it is serious, this is an intellectual mystery and a guilty pleasure in one!