spud-41

I am not a critic and do not claim any expertise in the field of film, but I do watch a lot of movies, and I think that this one is truly perfect. I have never seen a movie where each character was so sublimely acted. Jim Broadbent and Alan Corduner blew me away. I knew Jim Broadbent was a great actor before, but I think this is the best role he has ever done. The script is nothing short of brilliant, and although I read that Mike Leigh has his actors ad-lib many lines, you can tell that there was a kind of harmony on the set between the actors, director and crew. It's truly one of the best films I have ever seen and one I could watch many, many times. It's a bit longer than your standard Hollywood flick, but of a far superior quality.

People may be compelled to think that just because this is a foreign film, it is a good film. This is in fact, a terrible movie, and don't be fooled by the "noble" subject matter. The love story is ridiculous and badly contrived, the acting is next to terrible, and the dramatic scenes are nothing short of raunchy. The only good thing I can say about this is that there are a few beautifully shot scenes, but there is usually something stupid happening in that scene, so you don't notice the background. I wondered to myself as I watched it how it could possibly have been successful enough to come to the United States.

True, this is not the best movie ever made. It is, however, extremely funny. One cannot truly realize why this is such a ridiculous movie until they know the the french culture. It is not a study in the class differences, it is to exaggerate the extreme opposite ends of the spectrum. The rich family is so stable it is almost hokey, and the poor family is so dysfunctional that they are almost stable. All of the comments about life are only to exaggerate the situation. I particularly love the scene in the church with the musical, it just goes to show how silly things can be. I don't watch this movie over and over for the plot, I watch it because every time you see it you notice something now that is characteristically French. Personally, I think it is great.