Hudson and Watts glam-up an otherwise drab
film...
Kate
Hudson and Naomi Watts star as American sisters
in Paris. One is pregnant and going through a
divorce and the other is having an affair with
an older French man. The plot details and
highlights the scandals, improprieties, manners
and culture clashes of our heroines, and a
dispute over a family heirloom that threatens to
make the divorce even uglier than it already is.
There are many laudable aspects of the film. The
acting is solid from top to bottom... Watts and
Hudson are two of the best young actresses that
we have. The locations, fashions, and overall
visual tone of the film is quite lovely to
behold. And I really liked the witty and
truthful observations that are levied throughout
the script.
However, 'Le Divorce' is an imbalanced motion
picture. Its tone is light and fluffy. It was
even billed as a "hip romantic comedy" where
"everything sounds sexier in French". But the
subject matter is a total downer. Divorce,
revenge, suicide, murder, adultery... Will the
laughs ever cease? There is very little romance
to be had either.
Studios often mislead prospective moviegoers,
but this is one of the more extreme examples of
that. The poster is all smiles and pretty
colors, but an hour into the film and you'll be
reaching for a revolver to shove in your mouth.
I am giving this film my 'tweener' rating of 78
/ 100... C+. I think I was just completely
expecting something else and was floored by how
depressing the film is. I cannot, in good
conscience, recommend the film because its tone
does not match its subject. What's next, a
Disney musical about pedophilia? Okay, so I may
be exaggerating a little. But this film is a
messy mix of too many things and thus must be
considered a failure.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
Hmmmm. A
failure still rated a C+? I don't think so.
that's too dangerously close to a
recommendation. While I'm not sure I can agree
on it being a failure (saved only by Hudson and
Watts), I have no problem agreeing with the lack
of a recommendation. Thus, I compromise and go
with the low "C."
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
