L'Ecole des célibataires

This is easily one of the worst movies I've seen. Poorly directed, poorly produced, the argument is lame and the acting is awful. I forced myself to watch it until the end just to see if it would get any better, but and the end was like "really!?!?"

This is a charming coming of age movie with a perfect ending. Loved it!

THIS MOVIE MADE ME SHOUT OUT LOUD, DANCE, SCREAM IN FRUSTRATION, AND AT THE END I WAS SINGING ALONG WITH THE WOMEN, THE GREAT LYRICS TO "A QUIÉN LE IMPORTA"!!! Honestly, I don't understand why there's such a low average rating. Maybe it has to do with the cultural barrier that's built in to this type of movie. As someone who is "MexicoAmericana", (like the song by La Santa Cecilia), I completely get the movie. Whenever I was in Mexico, whether for school or to visit, the only important thing appeared to be the possibility of my marriage. This movie hits all the pressure points that a woman faces. Especially in a culture where at 30 you are considered left on shelf. Watch it, and you can enjoy it beyond expectations, if you remember that not every culture is American.

After I stopped, I read all the reviews to see if I should keep going, and so some of my comments are prompted by those.

I apologise for not finishing the movie and still writing a review. I know that's not really fair, but I just couldn't take it anymore and when I read the reviews it seems my problem with the movie wasn't going to go away. I would have persevered if the reviews had been different. Especially as my bar for watching was pretty low since I'm practicing my Spanish comprehension and am watching anything halfway decent as an educational exercise.

I don't think I had an issue with the main character and her cohort being marriage-obsessed. I get that some women are, regardless of the culture they're from. I get that some cultures are very marriage-obsessed and the pressure on any woman after she turns 20 or 21 to get married before she becomes unmarriageable and worthless is real. I wasn't conscious that this was an impediment to my enjoyment of the movie. I enjoy a lot of movies from cultures that aren't mine, with viewpoints that aren't mine.

Unlike some other reviewers, I thought the acting was good - very good. The main actor, Cassandra Ciangherotti, did a great job portraying a very real character. She has an element of Kristen Wiig about her - awkward, funny, very mobile and expressive face. She was completely believable as Ana. I'm going to see what else she's in.

The problem was that I hated Ana. I would have found her selfish, fake, narcissistic, unpleasant, and immature had she been 13 years old. For a character who is supposedly in her late 20s, she's unbearable. She's awful to family, friends, everyone -- and refuses to see it. I thought this movie would be about how the shock of a breakup caused real introspection and growth, but 1 hour and 6 minutes into it I saw no evidence this was happening.

Instead of becoming a better and more mature human being, she just kept getting worse. Ana was so bad that the relationship with the good guy she meets is entirely unbelievable - why on earth does he fall in love with her? What can they possibly talk about? They have nothing in common. What does she have to offer any intelligent, adult man (or anyone)? There is nothing to Ana except her self-absorption and obsession with doing anything it takes to get married.

TL;DR - The main character (not the actress) is an awful human being and I feel like her awfulness was cross-cultural.

As a former film student, I found this film fresh and creative in simple but effective ways. The acting was superb. The star and her gaggle of friends from group were incredible. The writing was uproarious at times. But the star is so good at communicating without talking. What an expressive actor! If bridesmaids had more heart and soul, this would be it. Oh and the soundtrack turned me onto 3 new artists. I'll definitely watch this again w girlfriends or my husband. It's definitely not just for women.

It was exciting to see something so uplifting and funny from Mexican cinema again. I'll definitely look for the lead in other roles as well as the writers and director.