Les petits mouchoirs

I really enjoyed this movie. I liked the way it was filmed and directed. A good story, the script was tight, the actors very good and I engaged well in their characters. None of them were particularly likable either. I loved the sound track too, some great tunes. A shock for me was the ending, last 10 minutes. It appeared tacked on, as if the producer's wife said to him if you don't stick this on, no more amour for you Cherie. To me it almost ruined the movie, so turn it off about 10 minutes from the end, you'll know when. It would have got 10 stars from me but for that. But having said that if you're into Hollywood style huggy, tears and let it all out crap in slow mo with a wincingly appropriate tune, let it roll.

Let me start of by saying: Do not watch this because you want to see Jean Dujardin! Since he won the Oscar a couple of months ago, I'm pretty sure the demand on his movies has been increased. But this is not a Dujardin vehicle. While his character is pivotal to the whole story, he himself will not appear in it for a long period of time. I didn't count the minutes, but his screen presence does not warrant you to watch it for him alone.

Having said that, I do hope you watch it for what it is and all the other wonderful french actors that are in it. One of them being his "partner-in-crime" in his newest movie (L'Infidels). The story consists of every character having something inside them, wanting to burst out. Some are subtle about it and some are not. I think the character who is the loudest might feel to be the most annoying one, but the actor walks the fine line of still making him sympathetic enough for us to care. A really good drama, that will find it's audience.

Guillaume Canet does his best Arnaud Desplechin impression to mixed results. The film centers on a simple plot (a group of longtime friends going on their yearly beach vacation together) with a slight twist (they leave a member of the group in the hospital to go). Canet (who wrote and directed) crafts a character piece, delving into the lies that these people tell each other and themselves, and then slowly picks at the facade until it all comes out in the open. It's a pretty standard premise, but the actors here really make the film shine. Every one of them has at least one moment to impress and the majority of the extended cast make good use of them.

Francois Cluzet is excellent as the patriarch of the group, constantly in a state of distress over having to bury a secret that he's uncomfortable with. Benoit Magimel shines as a family man who is struggling with his sexuality. Gilles Lellouche is perfectly cast as the man-child with a heart of gold. It's no surprise that the one who shines brightest is Marion Cotillard, given the role of the woman who is caught in a state of despair, not really knowing what she wants in life. Unfortunately, Canet is incapable of creating characters with a real sense of depth to them. Even the main ones that we delve into only really have one thing that we barrel in on, and the female characters (aside from Cotillard's) are almost insultingly thin.

The film pretty much focuses on the men and Cotillard, leaving the other women as these shells of characters that Canet refuses to dig into, despite the extensive 150 minute running time. You'd think that with a running time that long, he could have created characters much more complex than the ones we received. The film all boils up to a conclusion that is a very easy and obvious attempt at trying to get some emotion out of the audience, incredibly disappointing in it's predictability. Overall, this isn't a bad film; it's entertaining to watch and the actors are able to get some fine emotional moments out of it. But really it's a case of a great cast being able to overcome the ineptitude of it's writer and director.

Beautiful movie with topics and acting FAR ABOVE what we are used to get from the States (Hollywood). Most people in this movie of Canet are in their best years of their lives (and above the average if looking at their attractiveness)and meet on a holiday in Les Landes, south of France. Beautiful back ground music and (no French) songs coupled to nice realistic scenes of people which enjoy their holidays, but also have many disputes with their "friends". Acting is phenomenal!!All scenes within 2 and half hours watching are realistic and recognizable to the observer. The movie shows that people need each other to be able to have sex and make joy. If someone fells ill or is badly wounded as in this movie Ludo, he (or she) can shake it, because people tend to pay attention only to those which can offer them good company, joy or sex. Still there are some very friendly en good characters in this movie which offer people their attention without asking something in return. And off course the women in this movie are very forgiving to their more egoistic male partners, as is the case in real life.......

This 'film choral' describes the relations in a group of friends in their 30-40s.

Like every summer, Max is inviting his friends to stay at his house by the sea. Unfortunately, a few days before the departure, Ludovic is heavily injured in a motorbike accident. This event is impacting the relations in the rest of the group...

This movie is pleasing thanks to the comedy scenes, such as the running references to the homosexual appeal of one the friend for another, which is very conservative and close-minded. Or the running gag about the love affair by SMS.

On the other hand, the emotional scenes were weak, and it was difficult to feel sympathy, sorrow or sadness. I think this is mostly due to the acting, which was not as good as required to express these very deep feelings. But it could also be a problem of film construction, as I really felt the emotional strings was overused, as a justification for the whole movie. Another point is that the large number of characters weaken the depiction of each's state of mind.

Finally, "Les Petits Mouchoirs" felt like a movie with some interesting ideas, but which were not selected and matured enough. The final cut is a too long movie, with a taste of unpolished scenario.