The Château

I think this a very well-acted movie that has some very funny moments.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that it holds together and in the end, you are left wondering if it really made any sense.

I watched in on TV which may be the reason I enjoyed it more than the other commenter. This is not a big screen vehicle. This is really a small film that can be enjoyed as an alternative to watching the sitcoms.

I think that Paul Rudd does a great job playing the neurotic, try-to-be-nice-all-the-time, new age nerd. Romany Malco does a very solid job as a no-nonsense businessman, who tries to play it cool, but deep down is a sweet guy.

It is a pleasant film. A movie that seems to have more potential than it ultimately delivers.

Saw this at a screening last night and thoroughly enjoyed it - a very clever and nimble little film that operates on a loopy, improvisational tone all its own. Charming, witty and wise, with the biggest charm factor belonging to French actress Sylvie Testud, who transforms the screen into pure magic whenever she appears.

This film made me laugh hard like no other has for a VERY long time. Paul Rudd is fantastic as the culturally inept but big-hearted Graham while Romany Malco plays the all-too-smooth, self proclaimed "professional", Allen (Rex)to perfection. The film follows their misadventures as they travel to the south of France to claim the chateau which their great-uncle Jacques has left to them at his passing. The stuff that ensues is none too surprising - miscommunications due to language barriers, slapstick style antics from the devious servants,Pierre and Sabine - but it works. A stand out performance comes from Sylvie Testud, the seemingly timid maid, Isabelle, whose subtle performance is the glue of the film. If you have a sense of humour and a pulse, this movie is for you.

The movie was on cable here in Israel and I thought it had potential -- clash of cultures, conflicting interests between the heirs and the staff, but it went absolutely nowhere. Too bad. It was a half-baked writing effort.

But coming from Canada and knowing how francophones who don't speak a lot of English react when bombarded by anglophones who think they do, I must rate Sylvie Testud's performance as a tour-de-force. She was clicking on the English words she might have been expected to catch, and straining at the rest, just as would happen in real life. This is not easy to achieve and she must be an actress of considerable skills. I would love to see her in a remake of Madame Bovary or something of that nature in English. This girl is as good as they come.

There was one very funny scene in my book so it wasn't a total loss, when the Rudd character reads the fractured French letter he wrote to the staff who could not understand a word of it, except the main one, vendre, causing an uproar.

I really enjoyed this unconventional film. I found the hand-held camera work and video quality of film suited the narrative and tone and the actors did very convincing jobs of the characters they portrayed. The french/American culture clash was done to great comic effect. Paul Rudd was brilliant as well as Romany Malco and Sylvie Testud, whose work I was not familiar with. I've been wanting to see this movie since it came out and I was not disappointed. If you are up for something a little more off the cuff than what usually come out of America, you will be glad to find this movie. It seems like a really good student film with great acting that actually got the resources necessary to see the film through as it was conceived of.