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French Film

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French Film (2008)

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Reviews Counted:16

Fresh:9

Rotten:7

Average Rating:5.3/10

Rated: 15

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:15-05-2009

Synopsis: Journalist Jed Winter (Hugh Bonneville) is preparing to interview the celebrated French auteur film-maker Thierry Grimandi (Eric Cantona), a self-appointed expert on the nature of love. Jed is... Journalist Jed Winter (Hugh Bonneville) is preparing to interview the celebrated French auteur film-maker Thierry Grimandi (Eric Cantona), a self-appointed expert on the nature of love. Jed is quick to dismiss Grimandi's theories of love and romance as pretentious nonsense, irrelevant to real people in real life relationships. But when his long-term girlfriend, Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton) refuses to marry him and instead forces him into couple counselling, Jed begins to realise that his own emotions aren't as straightforward as he once believed. Even his best friend Marcus (Douglas Henshall) wants to talk less about football and more about love as the truth about his relationship with perfect girlfriend Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff) gradually emerges. --© IFC Films [More]

Starring: Eric Cantona, Anne-Marie Duff, Hugh Bonneville, Douglas Henshall

Starring: Eric Cantona, Anne-Marie Duff, Hugh Bonneville, Douglas Henshall

Director: Jackie Oudney

Director: Jackie Oudney
Screenwriter: Aschlin Ditta

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Reviews for French Film

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1 - 16 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Director Oudney's great skill is to play a touch on national stereotypes (that's comedy for you) before delving into the heart of her characters.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
05/20/09
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

The director, Jackie Oudney, gives Bonneville and Duff’s scenes a proper romcom glow, but Aschlin Ditta’s script resorts to a lot of faffing about to postpone the inevitable happy ending.

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (UK) | comment Comment
05/17/09
Edward Porter
Edward Porter
Sunday Times (UK)

The film is clever, funny and emotionally truthful and the parodies of Grimandi's films are deadly accurate.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
05/17/09
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Not a good film by a long stretch, but there’s something so harmless about this debut directorial effort (from a script by Aschlin ‘Scenes of a Sexual Nature’ Ditta) that to pull it apart would be like savaging a child’s first attempt at storywriting.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
05/15/09
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sacre bleu! C'est un perky British rom a la com avec un great self-mocking performance by Eric Cantona.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/15/09
Jon Fortgang
Jon Fortgang
Channel 4 Film
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The writing — unfunny, repetitive — is barely sitcom standard; the lighting is brutal; the performances desperate.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
05/15/09
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The result, however, is uneven: lurching from little-Englander spoofery to heartfelt emotionalising and back again - often in the same scene.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
05/15/09
Andrew Pulver
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a rich, beautifully written exploration of romantic self-delusion. The playing - particularly Bonneville - is assured and the dialogue constantly fires off cracking one-liners.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
05/15/09
Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

The actors give their all, but there's not enough here that's fresh. French Film is plodding and predictable - frightfully English, and not in a good way.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
05/15/09
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

A relationships drama with almost nothing to say about relationships - except that they ain't easy - the only memorable thing about this is a supporting turn by former footballer Eric Cantona.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
05/15/09
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

An engagingly lightweight romcom.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
05/15/09
Mark Adams
Mark Adams
Sunday Mirror [UK]

This is a British film which features Eric Cantona poking fun at pretentious Gallic movies, it turns out to be surprisingly amusing.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
05/15/09
Sun Online

The treatment of French cinema is rather facile, and ultimately this is no more substantial than a half-decent television sitcom, or one of the slight, love-themed sketches in Scenes of a Sexual Nature, writer Aschlin Ditta’s previous credit.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
05/15/09
Karl French
Karl French
Financial Times

Cantona provides a few bright moments in French Film, a damp squib of a romantic comedy with little in the way of wit, flair or sparkle.

Full Review Source: Daily Express | comment Comment
05/15/09
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Daily Express

Engaging, frequently amusing and surprisingly thoughtful British romcom, enlivened by strong performances from its four leads and a likeable comic turn from Cantona.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
05/14/09
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

This romantic pastiche is rather uneven and corny, but is packed with characters who are thoroughly intriguing. We may not like them very much, but we recognise ourselves in there.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/14/09
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
 
 
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