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Zoe Cassavetes' "Broken English" is a comedy/drama about an attractive young woman who, through her neuroticism and emotional insecurities, keeps sabotaging her own happiness. Even though she works as a manager and troubleshooter at a trendy Manhattan hotel, Nora Wilder doesn't lead what one would call a particularly fulfilling life. Unable to make a lasting connection with any of the men she meets, Nora finds herself drifting from one meaningless encounter to another, a situation that only exacerbates her already deep-rooted fears and vulnerabilities.

In its structure, "Broken English" has a freeform looseness that keeps it from feeling over-plotted and contrived. And while there are times when the movie seems to be serving up pretty much the same scene over and over again, Posey's winsomeness and charm make us care about the character. In fact, without her, the movie would be considerably less compelling than it is. She manages to make a likable figure out of a character who might otherwise be seen as excessively whiny and self-pitying. And even though the mood of the film is generally light and playfully ironic, there is some genuine pain in the story as well, as Nora struggles with the very real issues of loneliness, panic attacks and depression.

The actress receives impressive support from Drea de Matteo ("The Sopranos"), Peter Bogdanovich, Gena Rowlands, Justin Theroux and Melvil Poupaud, but the movie is Posey's all the way.

It is a story that could have been very tired and cheesy but the script and acting made this one of the most superbly created film in modern day movie history.

The emotional nuances throughout the film was impeccably delivered by both Posey and Poupaud. Cassavetes achieves the perfect balance of emotion and understatement in the realistic yet hopeful portrayal of a woman's struggle with her own insecurities.

Melvil Poupaud however is the true gem of the film. His portrayal of Julien is masterfully executed and inexplicably touching. This movie is a rare find.

I like Parker Posey, she is obviously a talented actress and (I like to fantasize) chooses a lot of roles in indie films. This movie is obviously something that meant a lot to the writer/director, because it is both detailed and nonlinear. However, I did not find it really interesting. Maybe because I am a guy and I am not American.

The story is about a neurotic New York woman, desperate to find true love, and finally stumbling on it by accident with a French guy. Their romance is not everything that happens in the film, though. You have to spend a lot of time following her failed relationships, both sentimental and at work, her pushy mother, the failing marriage of her best friend and a lot of other stuff. As a "life movie" how my parents called this kind of stories, it makes a good one, but not much of an attractive one. Or maybe I just didn't empathize with anyone in it.

Bottom line: solid direction and acting, but quite a bore of a script. Women might enjoy it more, but judging by the reaction of my wife, it takes a bit more than just gender.

Like father, like daughter. As the daughter of maverick indie filmmaker and actor John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands, first-time director/screenwriter Zoe Cassavetes has a pedigree that inevitably comes with exalted expectations. Interestingly, you can see traces of her father's recognizably low-budget, improvisational-feeling style in this 2007 character study masquerading as a romantic comedy. She's fortunate to have recruited the wonderful Parker Posey to portray Nora Wilder, a confident guest-relations manager at a luxury boutique hotel who is also a neurotic thirty-something concurrently longing for and repelled by the thought of a long-term commitment with a man. What makes this film a bit meatier than an episode of Sex and the City is in the idiosyncratic ways Posey informs her multi-layered performance as she attempts to show a flailing dignity in the face of every possible humiliation she could suffer as a single woman within her married social circle.

The rest of the film does not quite measure up to Posey, as Cassavetes has her going through the paces of dating men particularly bad for her until by happenstance at a co-worker's cocktail party, Nora meets Julien, an affectionate Frenchman who appears quite smitten with her. They naturally embark on a weekend fling that neither wants to end. The rest of the movie plays out in a predictable pattern but with some odd quirks along the way. The result is not a misfire. However, there seems to be a desperate reliance on Posey to bring it all home, which she does handily. Still, there is a charming performance by the charismatic Melvil Poupad as Julien, and he makes Nora's attraction understandable even if the script does not allow him to counterbalance the film.

As married best friend Audrey, Drea de Matteo plays a frustrating character drawn strictly by the numbers, while Justin Theroux manages to exude smarmy conceit as the self-absorbed actor who manipulates Nora. Cassavetes conveniently has her mother play Nora's meddlesome, well-heeled mother with a not-quite-present Peter Bogdanovich as her second husband. The film drags somewhat in the last third, and the ending is both pat and familiar given all that has come before. Still, it's hard to resist Posey excelling in such a fully dimensional role. There are quite a few extras on the 2007 DVD - a fifteen-minute making-of featurette, a thirty-minute episode of HDNet featuring extensive interviews with Cassavetes and Rowlands, and about sixteen minutes of deleted scenes, two of which are comically awkward encounters at the opening cocktail party with an urbane married older man (Griffin Dunne) and a friendly lesbian (Nadia Dajani).

Parker Posey and a generally good cast struggle against an underdone script. You can sort of see what the writer and director intended, but it doesn't really come off. In spite of Parker's best efforts, and they are quite fine, this film meanders along on its surface. People suffer in affluent, superficial ways. There's lots of whining about alienation and loneliness. Yet no one has any observable problems that warrant their apparent dysfunction. It's hard to feel much affinity for the spoiled, self-indulgent female friends who complain about their fates in a somewhat muddled fashion. This is a story where character development is essential, but nothing of the sort arrives in time to redeem the unlikeable best friends whose personal travails should evoke interest and sympathy from the audience.

One of my most anticipated films of the year turns out to be a bit of a typical rom-dram snoozer. Despite a stellar cast, Zoe Cassavettes' first film is a bit of a misfire. It seems she was going for an old-school type of romance film with a modern (yet unoriginal) twist, but I watched this thinking "If I wanted to watch an old-fashioned romantic drama, I'd rather just watch a movie from the 40s." Not to compare this to the breakthrough film of that-other-daughter-of-a-famous-director, but this totally has a "Lost in Translation" vibe going on. Except it isn't nearly as engrossing or well-made. The movie's best feature is, of course, Parker Posey. I do give credit to Cassavettes for taking a chance to show something that not many other directors have been willing to do--that Posey is a brilliant dramatic actress. Sure, she's a brilliant comedienne and this is what she's known for, but one look at "Broken English" or "Personal Velocity will" prove that this woman is every bit as good as your Streeps or your Hepburns. She just needs better roles! Justin Theroux is excellent, though only in the film for 15 minutes or so. I do fear he's getting typecast as the cocky yuppie or Hollywood type. So this one isn't a total waste of time, but I'd say it's for fans of the cast only.

Some films seem "long" because it demands the audience's attention at all times, others are so because the audience is bored. "Broken English" falls comfortably in the latter.

I have a feeling, in making Broken English, Cassvetes sticks with "safe" grounds. The topic, the set, and the characters are nothing new to those familiar to the "chick flick" genre. Being an independent film, she could have been a little more bold in her story, but she was too worried about pleasing the judges than the audience.

Instead, it is reduced to a "checklist" independent film. Lead role with obvious personality flaws - CHECK! Cheated by playboy celebrity - CHECK! Man in "sexy" accent - CHECK! Nice guy and gay friend - CHECK! Ethnic representation (Jewish, Hispanic, Asian, etc) - CHECK! Friend has secret psychological problems - CHECK! "Romantic" location for ending - CHECK!

The interesting thing is, the broad brush Cassavetes used to paint the "typical" American woman: perpetual depression, distorted reality, aimlessly looking for "happiness" in the wrong places, fear disguised in a sense independence. Is this the message she is trying to convey?

To sum up, "Broken English" tries to be groundbreaking, or topical, or both. But it ends up being a paint-by-number independent festival film. The distinction comes not from the satisfaction of the audience, but from the tick marks on the judges' evaluation forms. I hope films such as "Broken English" is not indicative of the trend in independent film making, but I am probably wrong.

I was interested in this film due to the mostly positive reviews, a story line that interested me, and having the opportunity to see Parker Posey, who for some reason has an intensely strong cult following, but is unable (or maybe doesn't want) to get to that next level of Hollywood movie stardom.

But then I started reading some pretty negative reviews from some of the people commenting here on IMDb, so it tempered my expectations. And maybe that was a good thing. I really liked this film more than I thought I would. It seemed real, understated, and "soulful," as Zoe Cassavetes likes to say about her film. It actually reminded me a lot of the movie, "'Til There Was You," where we see another seemingly desirable and attractive woman unable to find love, and clueless as to why that is the case.

Parker Posey's pain and anguish in some of her scenes was like watching a raw, exposed nerve. Great script and excellent direction by Zoe Cassavetes. I look forward to seeing what she (Cassavetes) chooses to do next.

"Most people are together just so they are not alone. But some people want magic."

Broken English is a low-key romantic comedy written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, and it's about a 30-year-old woman (Parker Posey) trying to find someone she can settle down with for life. It's at its best in its first half as she navigates various dating situations, and Posey has some really nice moments here, displaying vulnerability on top of her usual wry humor. When she meets a Frenchman (Melvil Poupaud) and later travels to Paris to find him again, the film loses a little bit of its traction, then settles for a conventional story line, something I'd normally go for, but here it was a little bit of a letdown. A nice little film though, and as a bonus, look for Gena Rowlands and Peter Bogdanovich in small roles.

This movie was understated and may seem slow to some, but if you are able to understand the subtlety of Parker Posey's facial expressions, will you understand the journey of the movie. The French actor did a remarkable job at being real, interested, while avoid the stereotypical European romantic. His role was solid and his confidence greatly contrasted Parker Posey, whose role was a passage of the female soul during moments of indecision and self-doubt. To me, and to anyone who has had a similar experience, the movie holds great weight. I also was partial to the film's soundtrack, which features a great song by Soundtrack and Scratch Massive. It adds to the movie and to its subtle introspection.

This is one very, very long, massive pity party, punctuated by one plot device after another, filled in with uninteresting, unfunny moments that were supposed to appear quirky and charming. Frankly, I would have preferred a plot. This screenplay is a crime against some superb actors. Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud are two of the best young film actors working today. They didn't deserve to be in this drivel, not to mention Drea de Matteo and Gena Rowlands, two more of my favorites. I am embarrassed for all of them. What a tragedy that they are wasted in this wretchedly excessive exploration of self pity among the pretty and over-privileged. I wanted to love this movie. I hated it. Absolutely hated it. Not only is it NOT a comedy; it makes no sense on any level of reality. The sub-plots are ridiculous. The ending even more so.

This film is a shallow treatise on the problems of locating love for a young woman in the city. The main character is self-centered, and yet seems to have no real interests. She is desperately looking for someone to love her in order to save her from herself. She is not really interested in other people, only in their ability to "love" her, even if they are assholes and total strangers. The movie takes the position that her attitude is normal, and in doing so misses an opportunity to be interesting. The movie fails to make an assessment about the existential problems of the character, or to question her myopic vision and lack of center and dignity. The film, like its characters, is a surface without a center, and ends up being mainstream, shallow, hollow, and sentimental. It's no wonder that's it's safe for audiences today, for it reinforces the popular idea that women are dependent on men for their happiness and to fill a hole or void. The film is indeed a fairy tale, for a woman who behaves like a depressed, mopey, self-hating dishrag all of the time would be very lucky to find a man to love her.

This was one of the lousiest 1.5 hours of my life. Nora is a stupid and annoying woman who is also desperate, immature and boring. Her character made me cringe-- why was she so monotone and emotionless? Oh except for her anxiety attacks... yeah, whatever. and why does her being 30 make her feel SO OLD? shes so stupid. She needs a male blow up doll.

If she whined any more about how she just wanted to feel loved by a "good guy", I would've puked.

Not to mention, she's a drunk. She's drinking in every part of the movie. it's like she cant go through 24 hours without having at least one glass of alcohol.

And every 2 minutes of the movie, there's Someone with a drink in their hand.

The movie is annoying, unforgivable and seems unfinished. I hated this movie with a passion. Really a waste of time.

Stupidest story line ever.

We attended a screening of this film at Sundance 2007. We chose this movie because we are Parker Posey fans, and she indeed did a great job portraying Nora, a single 30 something woman who desperately wants to find a partner to accompany her through life. Her character keeps making unwise choices, however...such as dating an actor she meets while doing her job as a hotel customer service manager, among other "dead end" men. Finally, she meets a young Frenchman and falls immediately into bed with him. (well, she waits a whole 2 days before going to bed with him...apparently a difficult feat amongst young women these days...just an annoying comment on my part). They have a lot of chemistry and the story was enjoyable enough. I don't think this film will have a lot of commercial success, however, as it was too "artsy" for the average film-goer, who apparently want more of the Die Hard and Spiderman type movies and less of this.

Six months later: It's now July and the movie is starting to be released in theaters. I honestly cannot remember much about it, which indicates this was largely forgettable. I am disappointed that this was only a "so so" movie. There are so few films in this genre that I was truly hoping that it would be better.

Broken English referred to, and this is the more obvious reference, the way English is not spoken by native speakers, thereby creating at times some comedic situations when accents come into play to dilute the actual meaning of the words. But Zoe Cassavete's movie isn't an outright comedy, or one which deals with language in Mind Your Language style. It's actually a dramatic look at Romance, from the point of view of a 30-something.

And this actually turned out to be a Parker Posey vehicle, as the actress takes the lead role of luckless in love Nora Wilder, who is into her 30s, and as per societal judgement, gearing towards an old maid zone. Perhaps I belong to the other gender, and hence understand some of the predicaments faced ala the movies starring Zach Braff of late (The Ex, One Last Kiss), thus not being able to fully appreciate the point of views from Cassavete's characters. But try as I could, I thought it fell short in presenting its points succinctly, instead by adding too many sub plots without much depth, the entire narrative turned out to be rather scattered.

Maybe deliberately done to highlight that life throws you the occasional curve ball that you can hardly dodge from, but watching how Nora gets put through the paces of meeting men and then finding out that their incompatible, which usually happens quite fast, Broken English initially turned out to be quite episodic. Scenes change, characters get introduced, things happen, and then the next big thing occurs. While not disjointed, it did seem a little superficial, and hardly allowing you room to feel for Nora or to be in her shoes and walk around in it a little.

Things get interesting when Parisian Julien (Melvil Poupaud), a friend of a colleague, enters her life, and then for a moment you fear the worse as shades of Before Sunrise/Sunset start to creep into their conversations of just about anything, and their gung ho attempts to spend quality time together, wherever they may be, go to, or end up at. For a minute I thought Vienna would be swapped for New York. The pace was not deliberately slow, but you can feel its length, especially during the third act when the locale gets shifted overseas, and you start to secretly hope that it'll all end soon, whatever the outcome.

Being a debutant Zoe Cassavetes written-directed by movie, I think it had shown signs of promise, just that it is unfortunately not polished enough. What made this movie watchable is the ever reliable Parker Posey performance, where the weight of the entire movie fell on her lithe frame. She made this movie bearable to continue watching despite her character's frequent misery, and kudos to her are well deserved. Watch this only if you cannot get tickets to Harry Potter.

BROKEN English reminded me of the magic of BEFORE SUNRISE/BEFORE SUNSET in a Parker Posey "Tour De Force" with a performance that captures the vulnerabilities that all of us have in ever finding love. The film is a delight to watch, but in Ms. Posey, one of America's best actors, the story rings true in today's world of "work, work, work" and if you play, "God, I hope I find someone worthwhile!"

I loved this film on so many levels-fabulous cast, writing and of course, location-New York and Paris, are just two incredible cities that you want to find romance with someone very special. Melvil Poupaud was an exceptional discovery and his French charm worked so well on the screen. Vive La France! I salute Zoe Cassavetes who has directed and written a story that brought me back to remembering the beauty of watching Ethan Hawke and the glorious Julie Delpy romp and play in both Vienna and Paris with characters you wanted to stay with, and hope they would be together forever.

In BROKEN English, I would love to see another story from Paris on how Nora really found love and happiness. Merci beau coup, ZoeCassevetes.

In the beginning Nora looks at her face in the mirror with tremendous sadness, trying to get ready to smile out there.

Later we see a a not very convinced Drea de Matteo listening to her husband's speech about love and marriage. Both of them (Nora and her friend) take medications (I don't think this is a coincidence in the movie) maybe Prozac? But nothing is solved, just like in real life, you live with your problems day after day.

Nora complains that she doesn't have luck with men but with Melvin she started complicating things for no reason and freaking out for the wrong reasons too. His face reflects awe when he witness so much unexpected drama. (the incident in the bakery is a good example) Is it random that he is French and she is American? I would like to think so.

The yoga, the pills, the drinking to relax, the thinking that sleeping with someone the first night will influence the outcome of a relationship, are all interesting and common events/thoughts that don't really make their lives better. One is married and the other one is not but yet, they are suffering. And this suffering, it seems to me that the movie suggests it, is not only related to the men, but to something withing themselves.

To use one of the many off-placing one-liners seen within the film, the simplest way I know to describe Broken English is, "Barf." This confusingly written film focuses on the dysfunctional life of a prescription drug addict and slightly psychotic female, played by Parker Posey. The usually fascinating Posey seems utterly boring, for the lack of a better term, throughout the entire film. This might be due to the fact that her character remained underdeveloped and emotionally ambiguous the entire time. The acting, cinematography, storyline, and soundtrack within Broken English all feel despondent, uncreative, and forced. Broken English completely failed to grab my attention as by the middle of the film, I was actually yawning and counting the number of tiles on the ceiling. (148, if you were interested.)