Elle s'en va

Meandering but always on target account of Granny and one time Miss Brittany Catherine, exasperated by the problems of her small town life to the point of getting into the car and driving across France, only to get caught up in the dramas of her daughter, needing her to supervise the grandson who she has to shuffle to his already ticked off paternal grandfather - and we end up with yet another out of doors meal.

Though it avoids the touristy locations this one is a remarkable non judgmental cross section of 21st Century France, peopled by vivid characters just short of real. Deneuve continues to find vehicles which show off her stellar presence.

"On My Way" (2013 release from France; 113 min.; original title "Elle S'en Va") brings the story of Bettie (played by Catherine Deneuve), a sixty-something widow who runs a small restaurant somewhere in Bretagne. Things are not well with Bettie: the restaurant is barely surviving, and her love life is in tatters. One afternoon, Bettie leaves the restaurant, on the pretense of getting some cigarettes, but instead Bettie hits the road. In a separate but parallel story line, Bettie's daughter Muriel, a single mom, has a job offer in faraway Brussels, and can Bettie pick up Charly, Muriel's 11 yr. old son, and take him to Charly's grandfather (on Charly's dad's side). Bettie reluctantly agrees. To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, this movie is written and directed by French actress/director Emmanuelle Bercot, specifically with Catherine Deneuve in mind for the role of Bettie. Second, I have seen many movies of Catherine Deneuve, and this is yet again a top notch acting performance. Hard to believe that she is 69 years when this was filmed! It comes as no surprise that this role netted her yet another, the umpteenth, nomination for Cezar Best Actress (the Oscar equivalent in France). But kudos as well to newcomer Nemo Schiffman who is outstanding as the 11 yr. old boy. Third, a good chunk of the movie plays out like a true road movie, French style of course. The movie takes us on the back roads of various regions in France, including of course Bretagne, but also the Loire region, and Haute-Savoie. Last but certainly not least, while there is a good amount of "family drama", the movie is also an ode to life in rural France that is becoming more and more out of reach or simply disappearing. Check out the long scene where the entire family is having dinner outside. So French! Bottom line: this movie is an unexpected pleasure which I enjoyed from start to finish. This movie showed up this weekend without any pre-release hype or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I figure this won't play long so I went to see it right away. The matinée screening where I saw this at today was better attended than I had expected. If you are in the mood for a top quality foreign movie that is miles away from your standard Hollywood fare, and where you get to watch one of the top actresses of this generation, by all means, don't miss this, be it in the theater or on DVD/Bly-ray. "Elle S'en Va" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Quintessentially French in almost every way, from the extended stare shots to an abundance of cigarette smoke and, of course, numerous mental breakdowns from a character vainly trying to find her place in the universe, Emmanuelle Bercot's (Backstage) road trip dramedy On My Way has all the stylings of a heartfelt foreign gem, but never fleshes out the very promising relationships forged by its cast, opting instead for mediocrity through melodrama.

The inarguable highlight is the performance of Catherine Deneuve, one-time sex kitten turned French film royalty, who – still stunning in her late sixties – keeps the film rolling with her dedicated, complex portrayal of Bettie, an aimless restaurant owner who tries to stitch up her frayed relationship with daughter Muriel (singer-songwriter Camille) by taking her grandson, the flamboyant Charly (Nemo Schiffman) on a cross-country road trip.

Like most car-buddy films, the reward lies in the journey, not the destination. On My Way runs into both peaks and troughs in this area, with some moments deftly illustrating the different worlds Bettie and her grandson come from (especially touching is the pair sharing terrible Chinese food in a two-star motel while discussing love and loss), while others leave you demanding Charly cop a smack around the head from his decidedly pushover grandma.

When Bettie finally delivers Charly to the mansion of his estranged grandfather – now the mayor of a remote country village – the film's loose ends struggle to catch up to an ambitious ending that unfortunately closes on a whimper, not a bang. On My Way is a pleasant ride, sure, just not a memorable one.

*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*

My score of 4 might be a bit high for this one, as there really wasn't a lot to love about this one. Catherine Deneuve's acting was nice....but apart from that I can't see much reason to see this film.

The film begins with Bettie (Deneuve) working hard in her restaurant as well as dealing with a mother she really doesn't like. When she goes for a short drive, however, she just keeps driving...abandoning her business without notifying anyone. Soon, however, her freedom is interrupted when Bettie's very angry daughter calls and demands that Bettie drop everything to pick up her grandson...a boy with whom she's had very little contact. The two then go on a roadtrip together and you are supposed to think they've bonded...but I just thought the kid was in insufferable brat.

The biggest problem about this film is that no one seems to like each other very much and the context for all this is missing...as if you've walked in a room with a family you don't know and you aren't introduced. And, to make it worse, you just find that you don't care about any of them. A misfire...with some decent acting.

This is a movie in a long tradition of making movies for the only buyer: the government. So a 20-25 minute feature is blown up to 95 minutes to leave a boring taste of "has been". It's probably good enough for the die hard fans, but an avoidable waste of time for the others.