Elle s'en va

Quintessentially French in almost every way, from the extended stare shots to an abundance of cigarette smoke and, of course, numerous mental breakdowns from a character vainly trying to find her place in the universe, Emmanuelle Bercot's (Backstage) road trip dramedy On My Way has all the stylings of a heartfelt foreign gem, but never fleshes out the very promising relationships forged by its cast, opting instead for mediocrity through melodrama.

The inarguable highlight is the performance of Catherine Deneuve, one-time sex kitten turned French film royalty, who – still stunning in her late sixties – keeps the film rolling with her dedicated, complex portrayal of Bettie, an aimless restaurant owner who tries to stitch up her frayed relationship with daughter Muriel (singer-songwriter Camille) by taking her grandson, the flamboyant Charly (Nemo Schiffman) on a cross-country road trip.

Like most car-buddy films, the reward lies in the journey, not the destination. On My Way runs into both peaks and troughs in this area, with some moments deftly illustrating the different worlds Bettie and her grandson come from (especially touching is the pair sharing terrible Chinese food in a two-star motel while discussing love and loss), while others leave you demanding Charly cop a smack around the head from his decidedly pushover grandma.

When Bettie finally delivers Charly to the mansion of his estranged grandfather – now the mayor of a remote country village – the film's loose ends struggle to catch up to an ambitious ending that unfortunately closes on a whimper, not a bang. On My Way is a pleasant ride, sure, just not a memorable one.

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Meandering but always on target account of Granny and one time Miss Brittany Catherine, exasperated by the problems of her small town life to the point of getting into the car and driving across France, only to get caught up in the dramas of her daughter, needing her to supervise the grandson who she has to shuffle to his already ticked off paternal grandfather - and we end up with yet another out of doors meal.

Though it avoids the touristy locations this one is a remarkable non judgmental cross section of 21st Century France, peopled by vivid characters just short of real. Deneuve continues to find vehicles which show off her stellar presence.

in a bitter manner. with an admirable script. story of a lady who desires to escape from her every day life. and the result. Catherine Deneuve does a fascinating role not only as remember of a long career but using new tools for create a character who has a profound force, convincing grace, delicate power.her great virtue - the links with the entire cast. and the fine exploration of each nuance. a film about family and choices. about happiness. and about fights. about beauty and honesty to yourself. nothing new. nothing complicated. only a beautiful film who propose few useful questions.and it is enough for discover the freshness of the new French cinema.

If there was a blueprint for one, this would tick a lot of boxes (no pun intended). It also includes a young boy, which is always a bit of a risk no matter the genre. But the kid holds his own, which is not an easy task "against" one of the best female french actresses. It's still more about her and her (characters) intention/goal to find herself. That road to self fulfillment is a weird one and will not be to everyones taste, as this drama evolves slowly.

But if you are into those things, then you will have a good time (as much as is possible and even through the tough moments of course). You might not always feel empathy or can relate to everything our main character is doing, but her moves do make sense in some weird way. But can you stomach a movie like this?

My score of 4 might be a bit high for this one, as there really wasn't a lot to love about this one. Catherine Deneuve's acting was nice....but apart from that I can't see much reason to see this film.

The film begins with Bettie (Deneuve) working hard in her restaurant as well as dealing with a mother she really doesn't like. When she goes for a short drive, however, she just keeps driving...abandoning her business without notifying anyone. Soon, however, her freedom is interrupted when Bettie's very angry daughter calls and demands that Bettie drop everything to pick up her grandson...a boy with whom she's had very little contact. The two then go on a roadtrip together and you are supposed to think they've bonded...but I just thought the kid was in insufferable brat.

The biggest problem about this film is that no one seems to like each other very much and the context for all this is missing...as if you've walked in a room with a family you don't know and you aren't introduced. And, to make it worse, you just find that you don't care about any of them. A misfire...with some decent acting.