Fanfan la Tulipe

I would like to inform first that I didn't see the original movie so I cannot compare this one to it. The movie starts out very good. It's very funny. The characters, especially Fan Fan and Adeline, are well chosen. Lightings and Colors are above average. Scenery is at least par. There are something to make me laugh or at least smile in every few minutes. The points of all the jokes are easily taken, even though I have to read subtitles all the time.

The second half of the film, however begin to go down. Romance, though is expected to be as it is, lacks built-up. When the movie needs to get serious on adventures (or at least in director's opinion), it could not deliver thrills it needs to deliver. With the comedy element's gone and no satisfying actions/adventures/thrills/etc, the second half could be considered a failure.

In short, this movie is a little bit beyond average. I enjoyed watching it. It doesn't have solid story, or throughout-the-movie comedy. However, it is the one nobody would regret seeing (unless you are critics).

I went to this movie only because I am crazy about France, it's kings and queens. I adore baroque costumes and decorations. But this film was a great disappointment. Dialogues were not funny and lively. Costumes were miserable. Acting was awful. The plot was silly. The action was totally not convincing. Fanfan (the main character) was too arrogant and energetic. Solders and officers were too stupid. The king was too generous. I wanted to leave the cinema long before the end. I try very hard, but I can't remember anything good about this movie. Sorry...

I have not seen the original of this film, but this version was O.K., purely regarding its entertainment value (intellectual stimulation aside). Perez is charming as Fanfan although Cruz's rather strong Spanish accent annoys me. All in all, not a bad attempt although I must not admit to understanding everything , as I saw it in French and history is not my forte...

Behind this film we see the French Touch of Luc Besson, the producer. It is not a great film, but you'll spend a good time. Penelope Cruz is beautiful as usual and Vincent Perez is wonderful. He is climbing up the stairs, and this film will help him over the seas. FANFAN is one of these new french films, like LEON, THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLVES,THE FIFTH ELEMENT. It is like an Hollywood film with an Hollywood star (Penelope Cruz, Mark Dacascos, Bruce Willis), It is pleasant like an Hollywood movie, and you are not more cleaver after seeing these. So it shows that Hollywood is not the only place to makes movies (very good or very bad) in the world, and that directors are not obliged to show many times american banner in their movies and, of course, that heroes sometimes live anywhere but between NY and LA.

I lived in France, speak French fluently and have a great appreciation for French humour. This movie sucked big time and was a great disappointment for me. My sister and I watched 45 minutes of it and walked out because we were both extremely bored. We managed to stay that long because we kept waiting for each other to say something first. The script is very poorly written and Fanfan is really annoying. I could not take another minute of Le Marquis screaming "Oh la nuque!". This is the first time I have ever walked out of the theater in the middle of a movie. This is how bad this movie was. Cruz must have been going through financial trouble for accepting the role. If you though that Le fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain deserved an A+ (which I did), this one deserved an F-.