Un début prometteur

I saw this in avant-premiere at the Ostend Filmfestival in Belgium.

I had a very hard time staying awake, not because I was tired, but because the storyline was so badly developed I could not relate to any of the characters. Frankly, this movie is so bad I really had to force myself not to run out.

Martin (played by Fabrice Luchine) is full-time drunk and cynic. How he turned into a drunk is not developed in the movie. Also, for the drunk he portrays he looks quite well and nicely dressed throughout the movie.

The acting of Luchine might be compared to a wooden Indian: nearly emotionless he utters his fews lines, his best accomplishment in the movie learning his younger brother to make cocktails. The younger brother of 16 falls head over heels in love with the main character, a woman of over 30 played by the Belgium actress Veerle Baetens. Also nearly no development of the story here: he simply falls in love and that's it. She seams to be a gambler -also not well developed in the script- and gets a loan from the younger brother (which he borrowed from his older brother the drunk). Well, I think it's easy to predict where it goes from here.

If I give this movie still 2 / 10 it's thanks to the effort of Veerle Baetens to still try to turn this ridiculous movie into something. But what is it? It's not funny, so it's not a comedy, it's not compelling enough to be a drama, it's simply a script that goes no where and which is very badly developed to grab the viewer.

When I heard the reaction of other audience members at the Filmcafé, well I was sure I was not the only one who thought this is a terrible film. Well, some other audience members could not comment on it because they admitted they had dozed of...

Most of the French reviews I've seen give this film 2.5/5 stars (not good) saying it's boring, lacks plot development or exploration and is a bit of a snoozer. I give it a much more generous 6/10, mostly because of how pulpy it is which I love, moving quickly from one point to the next, not exploring much interpersonal drama or background, simply a series of events in which characters decisions are ultimately proved largely trivial and pointless. A nice balance of subtlety, clichés and wish fulfilment, it is the first romcom I have actually enjoyed in a long time. Kudos for making up a Churchill quote because, (Luchini)"≈things sound more important if Churchill said them". May contain traces of Sofia Coppola.

Nothing happens, anyway even if it would, you wouldn't care. A movie made by a bored girl with actors that are in it for the wrong reasons.

Luchini made it to help his daugther he hardly know, and Payet to act with Luchini. Thanks god, it seems to have killed the director's career.

The level of boredom is astonishing and nothing was lost in translation, I'm french and I guess and english version/subtitles must be just insufferable.

Maybe I should point to a good french movie instead ? "En corps" obviously (even if far from perfect, quality neo-classical dance) as it is Klapisch, his "Salade grec" is really irritating for one episode and a half. Then it's just great.