Unglaublich

If Amelie had not been released prior to Dieu est Grand, this film would not have had the same exposure...

And it's no surprise. The plot is simple though entertaining; a young girl (Tautou) searches for spirituality in religion and love. Having gone through Catholicism, Buddhism, she meets a Jew (Edouard Baer) and falls in love for him and Judaism... Well, I understood it like this, and I don't think religion plays a great part anyway. It is just a pretext for funny scenes and as a way to show some depth to the character.

Parts of the film are extremely funny, revolving around religion (misunderstandings...) and family troubles (Catherine Jacob as the mom is astounding as usual). However the film drags a bit on the conversion to Judaism and loses the edge in the end completely.

All in all, entertaining, light, but certainly not unforgettable... People who loved Amelie (like myself) will like it for the wonderful Audrey Tautou: she makes the plot ticks by herself. Not to forget Edouard Baer -a renowned and funny TV presenter (he hosts the French Oscar ceremony)- who is charming and credible when he could have overplayed his part easily! My rate: 6-7/10

This movie will be easily forgotten. In fact, without Audrey Tautou, it would be pretty boring. Michèle (Tautou) falls for this guy, François (Baer), but also for his religion: Judaism. You see, Michèle is seeking herself in religion. She's been shopping around: Catholicism, Buddhism, etc. There is some tiny bit of thinking on what is it exactly to be a believer, but the movie doesn't go far enough.

But again, watch it for Tautou. She's got a certain spontaneity that is refreshing and that remind me of another Audrey [Hepburn].

Out of 100, I gave it 71. That's good for ** out of ****.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on November 6th, 2004.

Reading the message boards and some of the reviews for this film, I was amused (and I confess, a bit surprised) at how few viewers seemed to grasp the point. This is the sort of film that you have to think about while watching; it requires something on the part of the viewer. It's not meant to be passive entertainment. Yes, Tatou's character is annoying. Yes, Baer's character is irritating. But that's the whole idea. Tatou's "Michele" is a shallow, superficial fashion model in search of a "great cause" to identify with. (Of course, we know that no top model was ever like that, don't we!) Her constant reading of self-help books and what I like to call "bathtub philosophy" (like bathtub gin, it is home made and of dubious quality) leads her on a "spiritual quest" in the modern sense of the buzzword that spirituality has become--the search for a feel-good factor that will make her feel better about herself, her decisions and her life. Baer's "François" considers himself to be above all need for religion, heritage, even his own history. He's too intellectual (in his own eyes) to need any of those "crutches". And yet he is drawn into a relationship with the dysfunctional, needy Michele because neither one is happy with themselves and both hope to find someone to fill the gaping hole in their lives.

I have known many people of this type personally...they wander from one idea, one philosophy, one country, career or "lifestyle" to another without ever really committing to anything. That's why it says "To be continued" at the end of the film: these people will search forever, without ever seeing what's right in front of their noses. Their personal movie will go on...and on...and on. When the lights come up at the end of the show of their lives, Death will take them totally by surprise.

At first, I found the choppy editing annoying and confusing; it looks like a poorly made end-of-term project for film school. But that also helps make a point. Real life doesn't follow a nice, smooth script, and you can't edit the final rushes to suit yourself. It is what it is, with all its mistakes, out-takes, missed cues and forgotten lines. This is one of those minor films that can grow on you with time, if you learn to see beyond the surface into the ideas behind the emotions. It's only "shallow" if you fixate on the reflections...the water underneath is deep, and full of surprises. No, it's not Oscar material. It will never have mass appeal. But of its kind, it's considerably better than many viewers seem to realise.

'Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite' is a little film by Pascale Bailly that spends a lot of time trying to tell a story in bits and pieces with numerous characters, interesting in and of themselves but confusing to the viewer, attempting to keep up with the breakneck speed of this French comedy. The saving grace is the presence of Audrey Tautou and a few other actors whose screen magnetism holds our interest.

Fresh from a breakup with a boyfriend Bertand (Mathieu Demy) top model Michèle (Tautou) is a wreck of a person flirting with all manner of religious outlets (Hindu, Buddhism, Catholicism, etc) trying to find something to make her crazy life make sense. She encounters a veterinarian François (Edouard Baer) who is a secular Jew (non-practicing, closeted, etc) and not only does she fall immediately into bed with him (and a next morning attempted suicide!) she begins to stalk him trying to embrace Judaism - a fact that at first drives François away and then a little mad himself. The manner in which Michèle and François study Judaism and all its graces and restrictions is (I think) the basis for the rest of the story: the filming technique of flashbacks and fragmentary moments and cutesy scribblings on pages are paced to confuse and make this simple story a maze to follow! Along the way we meet some interesting types including Valérie (Julie Depardieu) who opens her door to her first psychology patient (Thierry Neuvic) and promptly falls in love with him; Ali (Atmen Kelif) who is Michèle's nutty fashion photographer and a number of others. There are funny moments, touching moments, absurd moments, but they are loosely strung together. In the end this is a fun film in which it is a bit trying to connect all the dots! In French, English, and Hebrew with subtitles. Grady Harp

I just watched this movie and i felt i had to warn potential watchers : This is by no means a good movie.

You may have been lured into seeing it because of Audrey Tautou of Amelie's fame.

To put it simple : the scenario is so simple it could have fitted on a post it note. It's about a whimsy girl who tries to get in touch with her spirituality.

So she goes from one boyfriend to the other, and each time embraces the religion of his. There are huge problem with the whole plot : we don't know how everything started. There is a tiny little clue about her father being absent, but aside from that, there is no indication of her psychology, her childhood, her past experience of the main character. Nothing. Plus, to be honest she is quite despicable. She is just a spoiled little girl with too much time. At some point she tries to embrace Judaism, and it's the only time the movie conveys any interesting idea. The rest is as shallow and meaningless as the character portrayed by Audrey Tautou. Her male counterpart, a somewhat nihilist but well educated man, portrayed by Edouard Baer really fits in his role, alas the way he tries to seduce again and again a girl which he has rejected twice is simply not believable. How he could be interested by a person which apparently has no brain and exists only through other people's beliefs is beyond our comprehension.

We can even sense some possible twists that could occur during certain scenes, but the director is in this case less smart than the viewers : she just misses completely what could have made an interesting movie. Nothing of what french cinema is famous for. Everything that happens here mirrors the ten first minutes. After those ten minutes, the plot will simply not progress in spite of the various shallow characters thrown our way.

So what can be said about a movie that brings nothing vaguely looking like character development, that conveys absolutely no message, that is not funny at all (ok, maybe i smiled twice), and portrays a girl with cuteness as her only selling point, to sum it all ? I'd say it's a waste of time, plain and simple. I encourage you to stay away from this movie, and rather stay on the good impression you had when viewing Amélie. Don't buy it, don't rent it : just don't.