Hollywoo

I made a special effort to go to see this as it was only showing at one cinema in London.Sad to say it was a wasted journey.The first half hour set in Paris was quite amusing.however when it got to Los Angeles the film really lost its way.Every character that the actress met was either odd or just plain crazy.The main actress seemed to think that wildly overacting equaled funny,well it doesn't in my book.Furthermore to make matters worse she would sometimes be addressing characters in french and other times in English and they would respond accordingly.So it became impossible at times to work out exactly what was being said in what language.The film was 107 minutes long and that was at least 15 minutes too long.I think that The Artist is a far superior French view of Hollywood.

I can understand why this movie was not a big success. It plays on the idea of a dual culture. Florence Foresti and Jamel Debouze are constantly switching between broken English and french and making fun of a lot of American stereotypes and on the way French people speak English. After having lived for a while in the US, I found myself laughing a lot just because I got the reference. They might be super witty but it was enough for me. Foresti was playing her usual character (the one in her stand up comedy) so it was funny if you already like that exuberant character. Jamel played a character that I think he never played before: a kind of Arsene Lupin of this century and I think it was a surprising element of this movie. To conclude, I would say that it's the kind of movie that would mostly appeal to people knowing a bit of both French and American culture and speaking both language helps too.

This movie will never come to the U.S., and that's a shame, because it's very clever, and gives a wonderful glimpse of how Americans are seen by the French. It tells the story of a young French actress, of sorts, who earns her living dubbing the voice of a glamorous American TV star who appears in a soap opera that has become very popular in France. The American star decides to quit the series, which means that the French actress will lose her one decent job. She goes to Hollywood to try to convince the American to stay on the show. In the process, we get to see a French director's presentation of modern-day Hollywood to the French. VERY different from the current Franco-American hit The Artist, which is a better film, but still very much worth watching.

Read it here: http://squeerelist.blogspot.com/2013/06/hollywoo-2011.html

Jennifer Marshall is Hollywood's It Girl starring in the over-publicized TV show L.A. Couples. Jeanne is her French dubbing artist whose career depends on Marshall's fame. When Jennifer decides to retire after her co-star and boyfriend cheats on her, Jeanne feels like her own career is over. She flies to LA to meet Jennifer and try to make her reconsider... It's a funny and fresh movie displaying the views of the French on Hollywood and its excessive way of life. The main actors are very popular French comedians (Florence Foresti & Jamel Debbouze) and I think you'll find this movie funny if you already know Foresti's work. It may not be a good movie for someone who is not into contemporary French culture. The cast is very eclectic and you'll find American, French, Canadian actors and more. Hollywoo may not end up in my Top 10 Comedies but I spent an enjoyable moment watching it. You should definitely give it a try and share your opinion with me!

1 reason to watch: if you have any interest in French comedians

The movie got confusing in some parts, making hard to keep up with it. However, it didn't take too long for it to get to the point which can ruin some films. But it does have some cringe moments. Despite the cringe, it did make the film quite funny and entertaining. As in the title, it was decent as there were some good moments, but there are quite a few areas where it could be improved on.