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MOVIES / ON DVD / LE GRAND ROLE
Le Grand Role

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Le Grand Role (2005)

63%
67%
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63 %
Reviews Counted: 19 Fresh: 12  Rotten:7 Average Rating: 5.9/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 89 mins

Synopsis: Director Steve Suissa delivers a bittersweet meditation on life with LE GRAND RÔLE. Set in Paris, Suissa's film follows the fortunes of struggling actor Maurice Kurtz (Stéphane Friess) whose Jewish origins just may be his ticket to a leading role in a Yiddish version of Shakespeare's THE... Director Steve Suissa delivers a bittersweet meditation on life with LE GRAND RÔLE. Set in Paris, Suissa's film follows the fortunes of struggling actor Maurice Kurtz (Stéphane Friess) whose Jewish origins just may be his ticket to a leading role in a Yiddish version of Shakespeare's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Being filmed in the city and helmed by internationally famous American director Rudolph Grishenberg (Peter Coyote), the film would represent a major break for Maurice if he were to land a part in it. Maurice spends most of his time clowning around with his wannabe thespian friends and secretly photographing his wife, Perla (Bérénice Bejo), whom he worships. But when Grishenberg offers Maurice the role of Shylock in his movie, the good news is tainted when he returns home to Perla who announces that she has cancer, and is soon to die. While grappling with this information, Maurice receives a further blow when he learns the part of Shylock is no longer his, and has instead been offered to a famous American actor. But Perla is deliriously happy to believe that Maurice is on the cusp of stardom, so he decides not to tell her that he's lost the part, and instead goes to extraordinary lengths to keep up this illusion. It's here that Suissa's film finds its heart, with Maurice and his bumbling group of friends concocting some amusing schemes to prevent Perla from discovering the truth, while also showing how far the budding actor will go to squeeze a few drops of pleasure from his ailing wife's final days. As Perla's health fails her, the film builds to an affecting conclusion, resulting in a salutary tale that is sure to move even the hardiest of souls. [More]

Genre: Television

Starring: Berenice Bojo, Stephane Freiss, Peter Coyote, Francois Berleand

Director: Steven Suissa
Screenwriter: Daniel Cohen, Daniel Goldenberg, Steven Suissa, Sophie Tepper

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 11, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region (unknown)
  • Keep Case

Additional Release Material:

  • Director Introduction

Text/Photo Gallery:

  • Photo Gallery
  • Trailer Gallery

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/A

Favors melodramatic and quirky twists, never bothering to lay down substantive ballast.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
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2.5/4

...works as long as one doesn't think about it too much...

Full Review | comment Comment
01/30/06
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
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N/A

...a diverting little comedy/drama, with a good central performance from Freiss, but...nothing much more on display.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/15/05
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat
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N/A

Director Steve Suissa balances the comedy and the tragedy of the material effectively

Full Review | comment Comment
10/08/05
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
10/01/05
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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N/A

As in many of his films, Jaglom establishes a striking intimate rapport with his female subjects.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/29/05
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
09/26/05
Onion AV Club
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N/A

Predictable yet charming.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/03/05
Eddie Cockrell
Variety
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N/A

Bereft of real laughs while lacking the depth to make its emotional aspects more moving, the film never manages to assimilate its shifting tones and ultimately seems trivial.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/03/05
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
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4/4

Their characters are compelling and completely realistic, the acting is first-rate, and many scenes in this black-and-white movie (which was shot in different countries, including Saudi Arabia) are breathtaking.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/05
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
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2.5/4

It's a weirdly winning illustration of love that O. Henry himself would have loved.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/12/05
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
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3/4

Bittersweet and sophisticated.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/12/05
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
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3/5

A touching Parisian love story about an actor and his dying wife.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/06/05
Anita Gates
New York Times
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1.5/4

A shaky effort to make a point about art triumphing over all.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/06/05
Kyle Smith
New York Post
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1.5/4

Good acting means getting the details right, but the details are what's missing in this French tearjerker of a comedy.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/06/05
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
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A-

Funny, romantic and poignant all at the same time, Le Grand Role is quite a star.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/06/05
E! Online
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3/5

A good one that could please most specialized audiences, especially couples.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/05/05
Kim Williamson
Boxoffice Magazine
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N/A

Director Steve Suissa spells out the acting metaphors for the cheap seats but leaves subtler points of intrigue unexplored.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/03/05
David Ng
Village Voice
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2/4

Fails to summon a compelling parallel between Merchant's anti-Semitic baggage and the Jewish Maurice's own struggles as an actor.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/26/05
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine
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B+

Stephane Freiss's monologue from 'The Merchant of Venice' would make Al Pacino envious.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/25/05
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve
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