jenaphile

...because I LOVED this movie. I read the other reviews and I'm astounded. I think this is a great movie. I received the DVD for free, and was so pleasantly surprised by the acting, the scenery, the humor, the exaggerated French snobbishness. I thought Kate Hudson glowed, carrying most of the movie. I loved the lingerie store scene, where the French women giggled over Isabel being "le petite" when she showed them her chest. I loved how Naomi Watt's character was perpetually scowling until she met the handsome divorce lawyer, and visibly fell in love at first sight. Glenn Close was wonderful as the graceful, well-aged American writer, clearly bitter about her being dumped by Edgar, but over-compensating with sarcasm. I loved the scene in the police car, where they were going to investigate a murder, and got side-tracked by the police women's perfume. There are so many wonderful nuances that make this movie great, I don't even care that the plot was muddled and non-existent. It's visually wonderful to watch, and the acting is superb. It's the kind of movie girls like to watch on a weekend, doing their nails, just relaxing. It moves slow, but it's additive and I've watched it more than I'll admit...

...because it tried desperately to copy Dead Poet's Society, and failed miserably. Julia Roberts is no Robin Wlliams, and director Mike Newell is no Peter Weir. The irony is that Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts' character) kept stressing the girls to break out of conformity, while the movie itself conformed to every Hollywood formula. The only notable performance was by Maggie Gyllenhaal, a quirky newcomer, and of course, the bonus of seeing a cameo of Tori Amos.