TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The Couchpotatoes I normally never ever stop watching a movie before it ends. Even if it's terrible. But with this one I had to and it's my own fault. Because I didn't read that besides a mystery/crime it was also a musical. And if there is a thing that I absolutely hate in movies then it is that stupid singing and hopping around. I just wanted to watch this movie because they had good actresses but from the beginning I already had a feeling it was not going to be what I expected. It felt like I was watching a play in a theater, and not a good one. Then after about fifteen minutes they started singing for the first time. I thought it was strange they started singing and was wondering if maybe they heard a tune on the radio and started to join in or something like that. But when a little bit later they started singing for a second time I finally realized it was one of those dumb musicals. So I did what I said I would never do. I stopped watching the movie before the end. Do I regret it? Absolutely not! Musicals are just a waste of time and I don't get why a movie lover would like that kind of garbage.

dfc-london10 This is basically a "funny" version of Agatha Christie's "Mousetrap". It follows pretty much the same plot, but with a different ending and the play has a mixed cast, this is only women. In sum, it is witty, filled with typical French private jokes, which are understandable and feel international, although if you are French or are used to French movies, you'll probably enjoy and understand it better. I think that the acting wasn't appropriate for this movie, though. This directing would have worked brilliantly as a play, as it stands, it doesn't really deliver and the musical numbers are largely unnecessary. I'm giving it 6 stars because some actors do save the movie and make it an enjoyable piece, were it not for them, this movie would have completely failed.

Chrysanthepop '8 Women' is one of those rare films the kind of which one doesn't come across too often. The story sort of follows an Agatha Christie style in the 50s. Director Ozon does an incredible job of telling the story in a satirical way by taking advantage of stereotypes and making it into a musical.The murder suspects include suspect's wife (Catherine Deneuve), her sister (Isabelle Huppert), his mother (Danielle Darrieux), his sister (Fanny Ardant), his two daughters (Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivin Sagnier), his cook (Firmine Richard) and his chambermaid (Emanuelle Beart). Each character is something that sets her apart, either a lesbian, or pregnant, or a con, or a seductress or unfaithful and so on. The cast includes some of the biggest names in French cinema and all 8 women deliver electrifying performances full of humour.The film goes pleasantly over-the top with the Agatha-Christie and the 50's formula. The colourful art direction is delightful. The dialogues are superbly creative and the spacious cinematography, especially the long shots and closeups are skillfully done. The songs are rightfully set in the scene and splendid to watch. Ozon also makes some interesting references to cinema of the 50s mostly through the characters' gestures, costumes and make-up.One does not have to be a fan of musicals or French cinema to appreciate the beauty of this film. With excellent writing, a lovely cast of beautiful actresses and lots of colour, it is hugely entertaining with loads of fun and something that I would like to revisit.

B J Or, usually, the work would not stop there. Here it did.The renowned actresses try their best. I can't even say that the plot is bad because it could have worked (the two points I gave are to be derived from that). The problem was that the story just got lost and the movie became a parody of itself. It does not do well as a crime, comedy or musical movie in any manner. 1. Musical? You would need to be able to sing and dance for that to decent melodies. Forget it. I am a musical fan, believe me, this is not a musical in any respect. It is true that there are attempts at some screeching to music-like tunes but saying that there be singing and music is simply not true. 2. Comedy? In as much as this is ridiculous, yes. I also have to admit that I am not an admirer of the so called "French humor" (in case this phenomenon exists at all, anyone encountered it yet?), and could not recognize any comedic parts in here either. 3. Crime time line lost. As a result of the genre mix, the crime line that could have been doing well (I even venture to say that in the beginning, you do have suspense), fades away very soon.4. Lack of characters that are at least interesting. The female characters depicted are to the greatest extent unlikeable and unlikely.A good deal of the screening time tries to deal with the tangled interpersonal relationship of the eight women, but due to lack of time and artistic virtues on behalf of the director (oh yes, it is true, sorry), it just gets out of bounds and is incomprehensible and uninteresting. There is no likeness whatsoever to Agatha Christie's any works (except maybe the very early and lame Mary Westmacott love stories she started with). I do not know, why 8 Femmes has such an excellent rating at IMDb, I suppose it can be derived from the general respect for the cast members, but otherwise, this movie did not work for me, it did not work in any genre it attempted to form the part of, and is should not be legal to have such casts wasted all for nothing.