French Film (2007) Reviews

English hang-ups about romance get satirically filtered through the perspective of French movies in this witty, cinematically-literate comedy helmed by British director Jackie Oudney and scripted by Aschlin Ditta. The creators set up two narratives: in a framing device, Eric Cantona stars as the elitist, pretentious French writer-director Thierry Grimandi, who could use a lesson in humility; he operates according to the mantra, "I consider myself lucky firstly because I am French, secondly because I make movies, thirdly because I understand love." As Grimandi periodically crops up to pontificate on film and relationships, a second narrative emerges. Hugh Bonneville stars as Jed Winter, a smug, unhappy British journalist enduring a super-dysfunctional relationship with long-term girlfriend Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton). She just rejected his marriage proposal out of dissatisfaction for the lack of romantic chemistry in their relationship; they tentatively remain together, but that all seems poised to change when Jed begins to develop feelings for his friend Marcus's girl, Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff) - and it just so happens that Marcus falls for someone else, leaving the situation wide open for Jed to waltz in and sweep Sophie off her feet. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi