Gazon maudit

As a comedy, the film stands out as it blends in the sexuality and gender issues in. It portraits these relatively controversial issues in an explicit approach. It won Best Screenplay at the 1995 French Academy of Cinema and got nominated for Best Picturefor 1995 French Academy of Cinema and Best Foreign Language Film for 1995 Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Personally, I think this movie is a successful one in terms of the story plot. The story line is easy to follow and the editing style is just the right pace. Things do not get messed up even the relationship between the three is rather complicated. The scenes are nicely set up and every single scene contributes their importance to the whole film. Some may argue that such issue should not be shown in such explicit style, for instance, when Loli and Marijo were naked in the bath tube, at least it should not be rated "Universal" in Europe. However, we may have to refer back to the cultural context since it is rated differently in America. For European countries, it may be accepted to present controversial issues such as sexuality and lesbian relationships in a direct way compared to other countries such as the ones in Asia, where these are considered as taboos.

Overall, I think this is an entertaining film and it is worth watching. This movie is recommended to anyone who wants to know more about gender and sexuality issues, or anyone above illegal age.

This film is typical of films made outside of mainstream Hollywood studios; it takes some old themes and treats them with an attention-grabbing freshness. Playing Loli, a young housewife living in the south of France, Victoria Abril is as delightful as a spring breeze in Provence. Her husband is an incorrigible infidel; we've seen many of those in films. However, when the masculine Marijo, played poignantly by Josiane Balasko, enters their lives, the story takes many unexpected and entertaining turns which render a fairly common theme completely unpredictable. Everyone to whom I recommend this film ends up watching it numerous times and recommending it to others. The soundtrack is now one of my most-played CD's.

Here's a film which is definitely outside the box for American audiences. French films are usually an acquired taste and this one is no exception. This is a delightful light comedy about a married couple whose life change upon the arrival of a butch lesbian to their lives. You don't have to be a genius to guess what's coming. Nevertheless, the movie is funny, it's done with great taste and sensibility, and even though the characters are not 100% belivable, they are not stereotypical. Victoria Abril is delicious, playing the wife whose disenchantment of the married life leads her to explore a lesbian affair. What I liked in particular about this comedy, is that sexual orientation never becomes the main issue in the movie, and it's really secondary to the human relationships that develop in this bizarre triangle. The script could have been a little less linear, but the characters are well developed and well played. Overall, French twist is a fun light comedy which probably wouldn't raise an eyebrow in Europe but will need a very open minded audience in the US. Unfortunately we're not ready yet.

French twist is a lighthearted comedy which centers around three characters in a love triangle not often seen in mainstream film. When it was made in 1995, this film was very controversial in America due to the nature and portrayal of sexuality in the film. However it was accepted more openly in Europe at the time. Now however the film and its subject matter, while still controversial to a point, are much more accepted in America. The characters in the film are good. Not incredibly deep but they are not two dimensional. You do feel for them and care for their feelings. And the film does a good job of having you care for each of the characters at some point or another during the film so that it is hard to pick sides and root for a single character. This film does a good job a showing the double standards between woman and men. Furthermore being a comedy it makes it easier to take in the once "edgy" and still somewhat controversial subject matter of the film. The theme throughout the film is that of love. The film tries to show that love does not depend on one's sex but rather on the people themselves. This is made clear many times through the movie. The topic of the film may seem rather heavy but the director and actors do an excellent job of keeping the movie light and comedic. There are plenty of points throughout the movie that were both surprising and rather amusing. Overall I think that the movie is definitely worth watching. It is a funny comedy and it does make you think. If you like lighthearted comedies which are outside the norm, you will enjoy this movie.

I read the user comment for this film, my point of view is quite different :

1. I am surprised to see that Gazon Maudit was rated R and 18 in most countries. I saw this movie at 20:30 PM, on Sunday evening, on the main TV french channel, and I don't remember any scandal for this (and we have our share of intolerant bigots in France too...). OK, this picture is about sex, lesbians, homosexuality and triolism, we can see a few times Victoria Abril half or totally naked and Josiane Balasko smokes a lot of pot, but it is basically a comedy with no real provocation. I find much more vulgarity in, mmmh, let's say, the "American Pie" pictures - even if they don't show nudity - than in Gazon Maudit.

2. This movie is funny. No big laughs, but a good story and brilliant acting. We know that the situations are implausible (a nice married woman falls in love at first glance with a butch-lesbian-truck-driver, who will have a baby with her husband) but the characters are funny enough to forget minor errors in the script and you will enjoy the way of cross that the unfaithful husband (Alain Chabat) will have to go through.

3. I gave a rating of 6 because it's not a masterpiece. But if you find the plot outline attracting, if you ever wonder "What would I do if my wife leaves me for another woman ?", or if you want to see an uncommon film about relationships, you will not be disappointed !