Some Girls

American college student Patrick Dempsey travels to beautiful Quebec City to spend Christmas with girlfriend Jennifer Connelly, who informs him upon arrival that she's no longer in love with him. Spending the vacation with her eccentric family -- including nudist/Pascal expert Andre Gregory, staunch Catholic Florinda Balkan and the luscious Sheila Kelley -- teach him a thing or two about the mysteries of life, love and women.

Cleverly written and gorgeously mounted -- wait til you see that house -- "Some Girls" is the kind of offbeat and eccentric comedy that the French often do so well but Americans rarely attempt. Little-seen upon its initial release, the film has developed a well-deserved cult following.

I actually watched this movie twice. It wasn't on purpose I just forgot what I was watching until about 20 minutes in and then I didn't mind watching it again. The film isn't great but was a good movie. The plot was kind of out there and you kept wanting more of the sex but that is not what this film was actually about. This is more of a drama and the end is kind of sweet really. The acting is not bad either. Most of the actors are not well known but I knew two of them. If you have some time check this film out but don't expect a comdey.

France is famed for its romantics, but Quebec? In the winter? Well, perhaps it should be. A love-struck college student named Michael (Dempsey) has too many naive theories about women. Then he is invited, by his mysterious girlfriend Gabbie (Connelly) to visit her family over Christmas, in Quebec. Ah ha, he thinks; major progress. The first thing Gabbie tells Michael in Quebec, however, is that she no longer loves him. Yet, she wants him to stay for the holidays. The bewildered Michael is then introduced to Gabbie's truly bizarre family, including Gabbie's father (Gregory), a writer who can work effectively only in the nude; a priest (Milette) who is hopelessly in love with Gabbie's over-protective mother (Balkan); Gabbie's sensual sister Irenka (Kelley) and her boorish boyfriend (Edwards); and a clock-stealing sheepdog, among others.

Poor Michael continues to try to woo Gabbie, and almost succeeds, but is mightily distracted by Irenka and her younger sister, Simone (Greenfield). Then he meets Granny (Kedrova), the crazed and dying matriarch, who mistakes Michael for her long-dead husband of the same name. The film shifts tone as Michael discovers that love and sex need not be the same thing. The final lines of the movie sum it up well, as Michael muses that all his theories about women are bulls**t.

The few professional critics who saw this film gave it very low marks, and certainly there were things to criticize. The lead actors (Demsey, Connelly) were sometimes unconvincing, and the plot was erratic and almost non-existent. These were minor flaws, however, in an otherwise fascinating film. For the most part, the acting was enjoyable, the character development was fascinating, and the film filled with unexpected humor. The sexual tension was kept high, with very little actual sex, and the ending was satisfying.

In struggling to decide what this film wants to be but never quite is, the best I could come up with was a Noah Baumbach film. Quirky but not quiet quirky enough to feel original. Tracing what is basically an internal personal journey only to where exactly or why is never clear. Dealing with eccentric characters who might be colorful and entertaining but in fact seem self-involved and annoying. Probably the most interesting thing about the movie is seeing Patrick Dempsey looking way more like Jesse Eisenberg than anyone resembling the (apparently) dreamy lead he is today. Which prompts me to think that the film has hints of "Adventureland" as well, but without that film's clarity.

This is one of my all-time favorite films. It was too subtle and philosophical to make it in the mainstream. The various 'love' themes between sisters, mothers and daughters, husband and wife are all beautiful. But the love between the boy and old woman - a love that spans lives and time - goes beyond touching; it's eternal and amazing. Other than the Granny's accent being Russian and not French, I found the movie flawless! Wish it came in DVD!