Alice

I almost didn't watch this, especially because it was labeled a drama AND a comedy. The synopsis sounded pretty serious, and if they tried to play it for laughs I probably would not have liked it. But I read the other reviews here that said it was NOT a comedy at all. And they were all right. This movie is not a comedy at all and it the entire film is a (very good) drama.

Alice is a different take on prostitution movies and the three lead actors are all outstanding and all of the supporting roles are excellent. The script, cinematography, editing and production design were top notch. For a movie involving prostitution there's very little explicit sex...I actually think there should have been a little more, since the contrast between being a mother and being a call girl should have been played up a bit more.

One quibble: Alice should have used a nanny service instead of resorting to allowing her awful husband to babysit. In a city as large as Paris, there must be many resources that would not have cost a lot of money that cater to families (and single mothers) that have hectic, weird schedules and need to arrange for babysitting on short notice. Alice's timelines for such arrangements could have been negotiated at the very beginning of her relationships with her management.

But that said, the movie was nicely paced and the characters evolved in a realistic way. The ending was a bit far fetched, but I won't add that to any quibbles, because it was still justified.

I don't know why it has the "Comedy" tag on IMDb. It's no comedy, not even dramedy. This is the drama that can actually happen in real life. It's the struggle of families, the struggle of some addiction, the struggle to find your identity, the struggle to fight.

The story is very well written, albeit somewhat made for the main character to get even with her husband. The acting is quite good, really good actually if we look at Emilie Piponnier and especially Chloé Boreham.

It's a movie for mature people who know what life can be and how difficult it can be.

It's a very realistic drama.

Do not be fooled by the poster (or the image one can see here with the title) - because this is not a titilating affair ... this is not here to excite you (pun intended), but rather tell a story. Actually one of the first ... let's call it sexual encounters might bring memories to some from their teenage escapedes ... remembering that there was almost no fun involved and a lot of things that went wrong. Only good thing here: patience that has developed over the years .. and luck to some degree.

Because this is about escort and not depraved acts. So if you are into a story of a struggling woman and her not reliable husband ... and their kid ... well you are in the right place. Again just don't expect this to give you excitement in a different way than it actually does. This is pure drama ... and a good one at that. Well played, well structured ... pacing may not be your thing, but it chooses to go this way ...

Here I am two years on writing a review. A seriously worthy one. This film is hands down one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in the last two years, and I've seen hundreds.

Having nothing to watch I put this on. I don't speak French so had the chore of handling subtitles throughout it's length. Well it was a roller coaster ride of excitement, suspense, laughter, sadness, awe, disbelief and enjoyment. It was almost perfectly blended into a tight tale of despair, personal growth and becoming.

The screenplay was excellent, as is the direction and general production. The acting is nothing short of superb and the lead. "Emilie Piponnier" should get an Oscar for her performance, or at the very least the French equivalent. To be fair, all the performances are good, and I was totally immersed in this movie to the point where I watched another French film after just to prolong the moment.

Ok its not perfect. One development in the story niggled me as soon as it occurred, and for a film so good I'm surprised the writer chose this avenue for the plot since there were so many other possible scenarios that would have worked more believably and effectively that the one chosen. I'll describe it like this - If I left my husband having found out he was a dirty cop, and I then decided to pull bank jobs to survive or stay financially viable. I am NOT going to ask my husband to babysit my child! Not for any number of excellent reasons the situation presents. That is just asking for trouble, and a little ridiculous if I'm honest. Babysitters are not Truffles and what would otherwise have been absolute perfection was a tad tainted by this development.

Additionally, the sexual encounters in the movie are somewhat... I think 'Cartoonish' is the best way to describe them. I'm not sure if the writer/director has done any real research into high end escorts, but I think they have confused the establishment with one catering for men interested in bondage, or perhaps the 'M' in S&M. The notion that the clientele for high end escorts primarily consist of sexually inept momma's boys with low esteem that all come to fruition at the mere sight of a woman in lingerie is a far stretch from reality, but I'm going to give a little leeway here since some 'poetic license' is needed for the film to work.

In spite of these short comings I'm giving the film 8/10, because, I still enjoyed it so much. Besides, it's fantastic production well worth seeing, and all this coming from a guy who appreciates a good film, but would normally skip a film of this genre and not given it a chance in the normal course of things. Prejudice can be a hindrance to enjoyment.

This film was so well acted and directed it really drew me in right from the off. I really felt sorry for Alice,discovering her husband had blown all her money left to her on seeing prostitutes. I rooted for her all through the film,a superb lead performance,though to be honest everyone acted their socks off in this one. Best film i have seen in ages. Well worth a look.