An
undercooked stew with great ingredients.
This
hyperactive film tells the story of a young
French man, Xavier, who ventures to Barcelona on
a college student exchange program. He leaves
behind a devoted girlfriend and a clingy mother
for a year-long adventure. Once there, he meets
a married French couple who puts him up until he
can get a place of his own. That place comes in
the form of a crowded apartment full of
twenty-something year-old students from every
corner of Europe.
And that's about it.
Nothing ever seems to develop from this
scenario. Sure, Xavier has a fling with the
French wife, makes some friends, learns the
language, goes out to nightclubs and studies for
his classes... But the story never seems to go
anywhere significant.
The final moments of the film try desperately to
explain the message that the previous two hours
did not seem to explore. I don't think the
director told the story that he had in mind. 'L'Auberge
Espagnole' is a wishy-washy mess with a paper
thin plot and characters that, although nice on
the surface, are superficial and
inconsequential.
This is a disappointment considering the cast
which includes two of my favorite actresses,
Audrey Tautou and Judith Godreche. It has many
of the ingredients you would expect to see in a
European flavored concoction, but the chef seems
to have undercooked the stew. It's not a bad
film... but it is a supremely forgettable one.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
Unlike TC, I
didn't really find this film so forgettable. I
do agree that it is a mild disappointment
considering the fine cast and promise of the
film. Yet, I still find the film immensely
entertaining and supremely watchable. Perfect?
No. It is, however, a film that held my
attention and kept me interested throughout the
proceedings.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
