Broken English

One of my most anticipated films of the year turns out to be a bit of a typical rom-dram snoozer. Despite a stellar cast, Zoe Cassavettes' first film is a bit of a misfire. It seems she was going for an old-school type of romance film with a modern (yet unoriginal) twist, but I watched this thinking "If I wanted to watch an old-fashioned romantic drama, I'd rather just watch a movie from the 40s." Not to compare this to the breakthrough film of that-other-daughter-of-a-famous-director, but this totally has a "Lost in Translation" vibe going on. Except it isn't nearly as engrossing or well-made. The movie's best feature is, of course, Parker Posey. I do give credit to Cassavettes for taking a chance to show something that not many other directors have been willing to do--that Posey is a brilliant dramatic actress. Sure, she's a brilliant comedienne and this is what she's known for, but one look at "Broken English" or "Personal Velocity will" prove that this woman is every bit as good as your Streeps or your Hepburns. She just needs better roles! Justin Theroux is excellent, though only in the film for 15 minutes or so. I do fear he's getting typecast as the cocky yuppie or Hollywood type. So this one isn't a total waste of time, but I'd say it's for fans of the cast only.

Like father, like daughter. As the daughter of maverick indie filmmaker and actor John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands, first-time director/screenwriter Zoe Cassavetes has a pedigree that inevitably comes with exalted expectations. Interestingly, you can see traces of her father's recognizably low-budget, improvisational-feeling style in this 2007 character study masquerading as a romantic comedy. She's fortunate to have recruited the wonderful Parker Posey to portray Nora Wilder, a confident guest-relations manager at a luxury boutique hotel who is also a neurotic thirty-something concurrently longing for and repelled by the thought of a long-term commitment with a man. What makes this film a bit meatier than an episode of Sex and the City is in the idiosyncratic ways Posey informs her multi-layered performance as she attempts to show a flailing dignity in the face of every possible humiliation she could suffer as a single woman within her married social circle.

The rest of the film does not quite measure up to Posey, as Cassavetes has her going through the paces of dating men particularly bad for her until by happenstance at a co-worker's cocktail party, Nora meets Julien, an affectionate Frenchman who appears quite smitten with her. They naturally embark on a weekend fling that neither wants to end. The rest of the movie plays out in a predictable pattern but with some odd quirks along the way. The result is not a misfire. However, there seems to be a desperate reliance on Posey to bring it all home, which she does handily. Still, there is a charming performance by the charismatic Melvil Poupad as Julien, and he makes Nora's attraction understandable even if the script does not allow him to counterbalance the film.

As married best friend Audrey, Drea de Matteo plays a frustrating character drawn strictly by the numbers, while Justin Theroux manages to exude smarmy conceit as the self-absorbed actor who manipulates Nora. Cassavetes conveniently has her mother play Nora's meddlesome, well-heeled mother with a not-quite-present Peter Bogdanovich as her second husband. The film drags somewhat in the last third, and the ending is both pat and familiar given all that has come before. Still, it's hard to resist Posey excelling in such a fully dimensional role. There are quite a few extras on the 2007 DVD - a fifteen-minute making-of featurette, a thirty-minute episode of HDNet featuring extensive interviews with Cassavetes and Rowlands, and about sixteen minutes of deleted scenes, two of which are comically awkward encounters at the opening cocktail party with an urbane married older man (Griffin Dunne) and a friendly lesbian (Nadia Dajani).

This movie was understated and may seem slow to some, but if you are able to understand the subtlety of Parker Posey's facial expressions, will you understand the journey of the movie. The French actor did a remarkable job at being real, interested, while avoid the stereotypical European romantic. His role was solid and his confidence greatly contrasted Parker Posey, whose role was a passage of the female soul during moments of indecision and self-doubt. To me, and to anyone who has had a similar experience, the movie holds great weight. I also was partial to the film's soundtrack, which features a great song by Soundtrack and Scratch Massive. It adds to the movie and to its subtle introspection.

It is a story that could have been very tired and cheesy but the script and acting made this one of the most superbly created film in modern day movie history.

The emotional nuances throughout the film was impeccably delivered by both Posey and Poupaud. Cassavetes achieves the perfect balance of emotion and understatement in the realistic yet hopeful portrayal of a woman's struggle with her own insecurities.

Melvil Poupaud however is the true gem of the film. His portrayal of Julien is masterfully executed and inexplicably touching. This movie is a rare find.

BROKEN English reminded me of the magic of BEFORE SUNRISE/BEFORE SUNSET in a Parker Posey "Tour De Force" with a performance that captures the vulnerabilities that all of us have in ever finding love. The film is a delight to watch, but in Ms. Posey, one of America's best actors, the story rings true in today's world of "work, work, work" and if you play, "God, I hope I find someone worthwhile!"

I loved this film on so many levels-fabulous cast, writing and of course, location-New York and Paris, are just two incredible cities that you want to find romance with someone very special. Melvil Poupaud was an exceptional discovery and his French charm worked so well on the screen. Vive La France! I salute Zoe Cassavetes who has directed and written a story that brought me back to remembering the beauty of watching Ethan Hawke and the glorious Julie Delpy romp and play in both Vienna and Paris with characters you wanted to stay with, and hope they would be together forever.

In BROKEN English, I would love to see another story from Paris on how Nora really found love and happiness. Merci beau coup, ZoeCassevetes.