Oh yes, Untouchables was such a great film! And Sy and François Cluzet were a great pairing.
Agnnes Hurstel was hilarious indeed 😂 I like how she's also very supportive of Marion, especially every time she mentions her ex-husband.
Glad to hear you also enjoyed this film. Netflix can be such hit and miss (especially with movies, a bit less with series for some reason) that I was surprised this was actually good. And won't complain if you send people over to read this 😀
Oh thanks, glad you enjoyed my ramblings. Also great to hear this films has such a fan base! When I wrote the post I thought this would be such a niche topic and it's wonderful to hear about other people liking it too.
I just watched the movie based on your recommendation and I liked the more mature, less Disney-like, dynamic where each has a life of their own and another one together. They don't disappear into the romance. And, as you say, I loved Marion's healthy reaction to his whining and the self-respect that shows. A much better model than the American romantic stories!
I also try to read and watch more in French to improve it further. I just finished my first novel in French (yay!) and I thought of you a few times, as you had mentioned you read Intermezzo in FR. 😊
That's great to hear, Monica! Really glad you enjoyed this and very good point about how the leads don't disappear into the romance, which is usually what we get to see so often. I suppose with age we look a bit more skeptically at the sugarcoating of Hollywood.
Congratulations on finishing your first novel in French! Was it Intermezzo? I had such a headache when I read my first full book in French... I'm surprised I didn't throw it away 😂
It was a book I bought last year in Paris, when we almost met. :) It's called 'La libraire de la place aux herbes', and I really enjoyed it, although the story arc could have been a bit better. It's a beautiful read, perfect for book nerds! No headaches for me hahah I actually enjoyed it so much, it was a fluid read.
Talking about French (themed) novels, I'm curious if you read Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin and, if so, what you thought of it.
It sounds like a good cozy read, must look it up! I have a copy of Scaffolding somewhere but since many of my books are in boxes now, it may be faster to borrow it from the library than try to find it. I bought after having read a short book by her with reflections of her life in Paris (Notes on a Parisian commute). Is it one you recommend?
I loved Scaffolding, I liked the introspective writing style and the infusion into the Parisian day-to-day living. 👌 I also got 'Flaneuses', also by Elkin, and I like it too, but it's a bit harder to read.
Your description of the Institut français experience made me laugh - so accurate. In the class I attended on a Friday morning a few years back, there was only one person under 40 (not me! I felt so sorry for her) and the average age of the class must have been around 70. I think the average age is much lower in the evening sessions. I occasionally think of going back as I am still not that confident of my grasp of the strange things the French say in real life, particularly the dialects of the young and of the inner cities (very much NOT the language of Molière, which would be much easier) despite spending my professional life decoding and translating complex french texts, but I am not sure I could face the whole elderly second-home owner thing again
Oh how nice you went there too. I have to say all the courses I've done there have been great.
I was ok with the age difference in my class as everyone was lovely and very keen to participate in class. I've been in other courses with younger people who barely spoke so it was a bit of a challenge for everyone. Besides, the courses I was doing in recent years were all attended mostly by women in their 60-70s (a mix of British and American) and I kid you not their social lives were extraordinary.
They were always doing interesting things and we shared a lot of tips on plays, films, exhibitions, etc. I really miss them as it was a small group and we got along very well but it became too expensive and as I was going on a weekday and I was using my annual leave for that.
Like you I am at a loss with informal French used by young people. When I mentioned to my sister that I would never learn French properly because I couldn't decipher how young people spoke, she put me quickly at ease and said that it's not like I'm mingling with them much anyway in any language🤣
I haven't watched a French RomCom in ages! I need to see this. I've watched a few french TV shows recently and thought Culte on prime was pretty good. It's a fiction about the making of Loft Story (french big brother). I also quite liked Young Millionaires on Netflix which is set in Marseille and has some funny moments.
Sometimes I just miss hearing spoken French too. I'm even considering Love is Blind.
I think you may enjoy this one. Funnily enough I don't watch many things in Spanish as it's so hard sometimes to find content in other languages besides English in Netflix. Thanks for the tip about Young Millionaires, I hope it's available in the UK.
I re-subscribed because my wife wanted to watch The Thursday Murder Club having read all the books and French Lover was the trailer at the top of the screen. Like you I enjoyed it enormously and have watched it several times mostly with the dire English dub as it's easier (lazy me) and the subtitles move around the screen and are not always legible.
If you haven't seen Untouchables - the original with Omar Sy you would probably enjoy it. He is an excellent comic actor but I think this was his first romantic comedy. I didn't know Sara Giradeau either but she's very successful in France on TV and film. Definitely one to look for.
I can see why the parallel with Notting Hill exists but this is so far removed from the clumsiness of that film because as you point out so accurately these are older protagonists and well it's French and that makes such a difference. I think Agnnes Hurstel deserves mention for her portrayal of Marion's sister / lawyer who declares early on she would fu*k Abel whilst sitting next to her husband and father watching Abel on a TV chat show not knowing Marion has already met him..
As in any Nancy Meyers film (SOmething's gotta give, The Holiday, The Intern) the more you watch the more you see the subtle cameos being played out, I give you the older lady at the bus stop.
Overall a very enjoyable film and definitely one to watch more than once. I was going to write a review but I think I'll just direct readers to you.
Thank you! Yes, Untouchables is such a great film. And thanks for reminding me about Nancy Meyers, too. I have actually watched these three films you mentioned but didn't realise she wrote the screenplay for all these three films. Now it makes sense why they worked for me.
Yes, with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, and I think Steve Martin right? I also enjoyed that one a lot. Can't believe I've watched so many Nancy Meyers films and yet not clock in they were hers! Now you've motivated me for a Nancy Meyers marathon.
If you want to watch them in chronological order you need to watch Something’s gotta give with Jack Nicholson & Diane Keaton, France’s McDormand and Keanu Reeves first. Terrific cast.
The review of Materialists totally put me off watching - and like you I really loved Past Lives, so I don't want to ruin my impression of Celine Song. This sounds like an interesting find Cristina - keep the French flicks coming.
I had hope until the very end but when my sister, less biased than me, said she didn't see the point of the movie I couldn't disagree. Anyway, hopefully the next Celine Song movie will be better.
I adored this post and your take on Materialists made me laugh. Even the normally irrepressible charm of Pedro Pascal wasn’t enough to carry the rest of that film. Adding this one to my to watch list.
Thank you! I really hoped Materialists could be half as good as Past Lives (which I adored) but for some reason it felt flat even though the premise was good but it wasn't meant to be.
French Lover, on the other hand, was a surprise. Hope you enjoy it.
Oh yes, Untouchables was such a great film! And Sy and François Cluzet were a great pairing.
Agnnes Hurstel was hilarious indeed 😂 I like how she's also very supportive of Marion, especially every time she mentions her ex-husband.
Glad to hear you also enjoyed this film. Netflix can be such hit and miss (especially with movies, a bit less with series for some reason) that I was surprised this was actually good. And won't complain if you send people over to read this 😀
Thank you - loved this and adored French Lover! And I agree the lead actress is an understated revelation.
Oh thanks, glad you enjoyed my ramblings. Also great to hear this films has such a fan base! When I wrote the post I thought this would be such a niche topic and it's wonderful to hear about other people liking it too.
I just watched the movie based on your recommendation and I liked the more mature, less Disney-like, dynamic where each has a life of their own and another one together. They don't disappear into the romance. And, as you say, I loved Marion's healthy reaction to his whining and the self-respect that shows. A much better model than the American romantic stories!
I also try to read and watch more in French to improve it further. I just finished my first novel in French (yay!) and I thought of you a few times, as you had mentioned you read Intermezzo in FR. 😊
That's great to hear, Monica! Really glad you enjoyed this and very good point about how the leads don't disappear into the romance, which is usually what we get to see so often. I suppose with age we look a bit more skeptically at the sugarcoating of Hollywood.
Congratulations on finishing your first novel in French! Was it Intermezzo? I had such a headache when I read my first full book in French... I'm surprised I didn't throw it away 😂
It was a book I bought last year in Paris, when we almost met. :) It's called 'La libraire de la place aux herbes', and I really enjoyed it, although the story arc could have been a bit better. It's a beautiful read, perfect for book nerds! No headaches for me hahah I actually enjoyed it so much, it was a fluid read.
Talking about French (themed) novels, I'm curious if you read Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin and, if so, what you thought of it.
It sounds like a good cozy read, must look it up! I have a copy of Scaffolding somewhere but since many of my books are in boxes now, it may be faster to borrow it from the library than try to find it. I bought after having read a short book by her with reflections of her life in Paris (Notes on a Parisian commute). Is it one you recommend?
I loved Scaffolding, I liked the introspective writing style and the infusion into the Parisian day-to-day living. 👌 I also got 'Flaneuses', also by Elkin, and I like it too, but it's a bit harder to read.
Then I'm sure I'll like it too. I also have Flaneuse, but again somewhere inside a box. The book situation is terrible at the moment 😂
It sounds like it. You need books around, they are in the same category as blankets in the winter or flowers in a vase in the spring 😊
Your description of the Institut français experience made me laugh - so accurate. In the class I attended on a Friday morning a few years back, there was only one person under 40 (not me! I felt so sorry for her) and the average age of the class must have been around 70. I think the average age is much lower in the evening sessions. I occasionally think of going back as I am still not that confident of my grasp of the strange things the French say in real life, particularly the dialects of the young and of the inner cities (very much NOT the language of Molière, which would be much easier) despite spending my professional life decoding and translating complex french texts, but I am not sure I could face the whole elderly second-home owner thing again
Oh how nice you went there too. I have to say all the courses I've done there have been great.
I was ok with the age difference in my class as everyone was lovely and very keen to participate in class. I've been in other courses with younger people who barely spoke so it was a bit of a challenge for everyone. Besides, the courses I was doing in recent years were all attended mostly by women in their 60-70s (a mix of British and American) and I kid you not their social lives were extraordinary.
They were always doing interesting things and we shared a lot of tips on plays, films, exhibitions, etc. I really miss them as it was a small group and we got along very well but it became too expensive and as I was going on a weekday and I was using my annual leave for that.
Like you I am at a loss with informal French used by young people. When I mentioned to my sister that I would never learn French properly because I couldn't decipher how young people spoke, she put me quickly at ease and said that it's not like I'm mingling with them much anyway in any language🤣
I haven't watched a French RomCom in ages! I need to see this. I've watched a few french TV shows recently and thought Culte on prime was pretty good. It's a fiction about the making of Loft Story (french big brother). I also quite liked Young Millionaires on Netflix which is set in Marseille and has some funny moments.
Sometimes I just miss hearing spoken French too. I'm even considering Love is Blind.
I think you may enjoy this one. Funnily enough I don't watch many things in Spanish as it's so hard sometimes to find content in other languages besides English in Netflix. Thanks for the tip about Young Millionaires, I hope it's available in the UK.
I re-subscribed because my wife wanted to watch The Thursday Murder Club having read all the books and French Lover was the trailer at the top of the screen. Like you I enjoyed it enormously and have watched it several times mostly with the dire English dub as it's easier (lazy me) and the subtitles move around the screen and are not always legible.
If you haven't seen Untouchables - the original with Omar Sy you would probably enjoy it. He is an excellent comic actor but I think this was his first romantic comedy. I didn't know Sara Giradeau either but she's very successful in France on TV and film. Definitely one to look for.
I can see why the parallel with Notting Hill exists but this is so far removed from the clumsiness of that film because as you point out so accurately these are older protagonists and well it's French and that makes such a difference. I think Agnnes Hurstel deserves mention for her portrayal of Marion's sister / lawyer who declares early on she would fu*k Abel whilst sitting next to her husband and father watching Abel on a TV chat show not knowing Marion has already met him..
As in any Nancy Meyers film (SOmething's gotta give, The Holiday, The Intern) the more you watch the more you see the subtle cameos being played out, I give you the older lady at the bus stop.
Overall a very enjoyable film and definitely one to watch more than once. I was going to write a review but I think I'll just direct readers to you.
Thank you! Yes, Untouchables is such a great film. And thanks for reminding me about Nancy Meyers, too. I have actually watched these three films you mentioned but didn't realise she wrote the screenplay for all these three films. Now it makes sense why they worked for me.
There’s also “It’s complicated”, that came between The Holiday and The Intern but I don’t like it as much.
I believe you need to watch all of her films at least twice to pick up all the little cameos and subtleties of her scripts.
Yes, with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, and I think Steve Martin right? I also enjoyed that one a lot. Can't believe I've watched so many Nancy Meyers films and yet not clock in they were hers! Now you've motivated me for a Nancy Meyers marathon.
Absolutely.
If you want to watch them in chronological order you need to watch Something’s gotta give with Jack Nicholson & Diane Keaton, France’s McDormand and Keanu Reeves first. Terrific cast.
I watched that a few years ago but I think I saw it was on Netflix now so I may rewatch it as it's been a while. Thanks!
Ha, definitely make it Omar Say. Thanks for tracking this down - just what I need.
Always happy to be of service 🫡
Adding it to my to-watch list, thanks, Cristina.
Let me know what you think when you watch it, Wendy.
The review of Materialists totally put me off watching - and like you I really loved Past Lives, so I don't want to ruin my impression of Celine Song. This sounds like an interesting find Cristina - keep the French flicks coming.
I had hope until the very end but when my sister, less biased than me, said she didn't see the point of the movie I couldn't disagree. Anyway, hopefully the next Celine Song movie will be better.
I adored this post and your take on Materialists made me laugh. Even the normally irrepressible charm of Pedro Pascal wasn’t enough to carry the rest of that film. Adding this one to my to watch list.
Thank you! I really hoped Materialists could be half as good as Past Lives (which I adored) but for some reason it felt flat even though the premise was good but it wasn't meant to be.
French Lover, on the other hand, was a surprise. Hope you enjoy it.