Bye Bye Blondie

I've just seen this movie by Virginie Despentes (famous french writer). It's more mainstream than her previous one (Baise moi !)but nevertheless very provocative. Provocative because it's a lesbian comedy, Virginie Despentes being herself a lesbian she was intented on making it that way. I think it's very important to have such artists who can express themselves in a more and more consensual world and indeed her approach is commendable and necessary. As for the film itself i have some restrictions. First of all i don't really believe in the love story of the two main characters ( B. Dalle & E. Béart) , on the contrary their story is much more convincing when they are young. This is due to the life and energy given by Soko and Clara Ponsot. Two promising , attractive young actresses . The other thing that has bothered me is how punks are shown. For me it's a little flaw, too much cliché. I don't think you have to be always drunk to be a punk. It's strange because Despentes was punk and has known very well this movement in France. To her credit i must say that the soundtrack is excellent with songs from Berurier Noir, La Souris Déglinguée, OTH, Metal Urbain... All in all this is not a very good film, a little flawed but that's not very important here. What counts it's is freedom of speech and that's priceless.

... read the book! It is a beautiful love story between two broken people, one more so than the other. The novel will break your heart. The movie will bore you to death. How can a writer betray her characters like that ? I never would have thought it possible. There are no dialogues, no real emotion or chemistry. You know nothing about one or the other, who they are, where they come from, why they mean so much to each other, what they each bring to the table and how they all mess it up.

Even the ending is different, less dark. So maybe that was the message of the director : it would have been better if Gloria had fallen for a Frances rather than an Eric. Gay couples are happier and better suited than straight ones?

It would have been all right if that had been the only change between the novel and the film, but it wasn't. Even the way they meet again is different. Frances just shows up for no reason in the bar where Gloria is, 30 years later. She doesn't look happy or excited, just blasé. They hook up again but the viewer doesn't get it: what is the attraction between these two women ?

The movie is like a very bad reader's digest of the book. So please, read the novel. It will make you feel and think.

Lets start by this simple information : bye bye blondie is a book written by V.Des pentes in 2004 few years after big edition success Baise moi (fuck me). Being myself a citizen of Nancy (name of the town the book takes place for its 3/4) i have really liked it and i think i understood even its deepest aspect and guessed the non given information of it. To be clear : the love story happens between a working class girl and a fancy and rich class boy living in the ''Isabey '' part of the city and being probably student in st sigisbert high school. The strengh of the book is that it shows how Gloria (the female protagonist) switches from platonic to deep physical love with a boy from a total different background because he's involuntarily meeting with her punk values (abbility to dress psycho, to fight, to play guitar, to match and get friend with other punk boys). I have nothing against homosexuality, but this story can not be transfered to the love story of 2 girls, this is exactly why the viewer wont believe a word of it !! When i went to see it i know i was going for a massive deception, and it's been worse again !!! For me this movie should not exist under the same name or with any link or relatio n to the book ... Virginie, what the hell did you want to prove realizing this film ?????

Not that I've seen it, but I'm reminded of when Nicholas Stoller's 'Bros' was released in the fall of 2022 to less than stellar reception. One particular comment I saw at that time has stuck with me as it entreated the Internet to "let queer movies be bad." That is to say - queer representation is good, and important, but if a film is imperfect and not wholly worthy on its own merits, we shouldn't leap to defend and uplift it just because it gives us the representation we crave of the LGBTQ community. With that said, it's not that 'Bye bye blondie' is bad, because I don't think that's true. Only, it's not especially grabbing. More than that, to be honest it feels a tad imbalanced, and underwhelming. I think there are fine story ideas here, but they're not given a form that makes them especially meaningful; the feelings of the characters aren't really passed on to the audience. We sit to watch, a story is told, and we blithely move on with our day as though we hadn't sat in the first place. It's okay for some flicks to be generally unimpressive in this way. One still wishes there were something more remarkable about them, though, and something to earn a stronger recommendation.

I do actually like this, broadly. There are familiar strains in Virginie Despentes' screenplay, but at that they're ones worth exploring anew: off-and-on lovers who inject fire into one another's lives, but who also mix like oil and water; exploration of their history together, in addition to the active narrative in which they meet once again. This core is flavored with additional tinges (to varying degrees) of punk aesthetics and confrontational spirit; the abuse levied against those who don't conform to the norms of the dominant culture; the pressure in society to hide oneself away just to be able to get by. These are terrific notions to play with - for an earnest lesbian love story above all, and at that one which declines the major tropes and forthrightness of its lesser genre sisters. It's just a pity that this feature bears a tone that's frankly too blase and even-keeled; even at those moments of the greatest heightened emotions, the vitality of the beat isn't specifically felt. I don't altogether blame Despentes in her direction, but I'd be lying if I said that didn't come across as the weakness that prevents the title from carrying itself with more engaging, relatable, and believable energy.

It's a little weird, in a way, because in other regards 'Bye bye blondie' is quite well done. Emmanuelle Béart, Béatrice Dalle, Clara Ponsot, and Soko are all charming, and bring their characters to life with commendable emotional depth and nuance. It should certainly be said too that Béart and Dalle, and Ponsot and Soko, have splendid on-screen chemistry. The costume design and hair and makeup are lovely; the production design and art direction are swell. I love the soundtrack compiled for the film. I admire Martine Giordano's editing, and Hélène Louvart's cinematography is solid. From a fundamental standpoint of orchestrating shots and scenes I think Despentes' direction is actually just fine, and again, all the right pieces are in place in her screenplay for an entertaining, satisfying slice of cinema, lesbian or otherwise. The chief problems are two-fold. First is that the various elements comprising the narrative aren't given equal treatment, or at least, treatment that would be ideal for either each in and of itself, or the overall tale. Second, and I think possibly more importantly, is that the earnest intent of the storytelling isn't borne out in execution for lack of a pulsing heart, a spark of electricity or vibrancy to make it count. Sound on paper, the audiovisual realization of the writing is sadly flat.

It bears repeating that I don't believe this to be a bad movie. It's not without value. Regrettably it's also just not the movie that it could and should have been, thrumming with the pluck and ardor - and ideal careful storytelling - that would have made it matter more. Such as it is I think 'Bye bye blondie' is a reasonably decent view if one happens to come across it, and it's suggested most for those who are diehard fans of folks involved. It also has a definite leg up on too many other LGBTQ flicks that fall into conventional trappings, or that fail to live up to their promise; if it's queer rep you want, it's queer rep you'll get. Still, without the driving strength to imbue the proceedings with significant potency in any capacity, this is a picture that's mostly best left for a quiet day rather than pointedly setting aside time to watch.