UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

greekmuse A typical French movie about love: slow-paced, elegant, thoughtful. Casting, acting, music--all very good. The problem I had with this film is with the central character Stephane whose reserved and detached nature gets old and annoying after a while. Perhaps I was supposed to feel that his persona is mysterious and that's all there's to it; instead, I got an inkling that his character was just a bit too contrived. And why is he always wearing a suit and tie, even to visit relatives? It seriously made me wonder if he sleeps in a suit and tie pajama.By the way, the actress Élisabeth Bourgine who plays Stephane's friend is now on the BBC show Death in Paradise. She still looks great.

ashankz I think it is an engaging and thoughtful movie - the kind that you keep thinking about, long after you have finished watching. The plot deals with the central character's coldness in relationships with people around him. He is definitely gifted in what he does. He is sincere and hardworking. People around him tend to be friendly and caring. But it seems our guy has some intimacy issues – he can't go beyond a certain level. I am not really sure as to what message did the movie want to convey. It can't just be - if you are cold in nature, you are a loser. I don't think Stéphane was cold by choice – he couldn't just change his nature so as to make others happy. I found it odd that a person of such nature would speak with frankness and openness about these issues – the way Stéphane tells Camille in the restaurant. His friendship with Hélène also seems unexplained - what was the basis – did they expect it to go further? What struck as peculiar was attention given to details on mundane activities - like the craftsmanship involved in making musical instruments or dealing with the restaurant manager. In some ways, these elements helped in keeping one occupied and expectant of things to come. Daniel Auteuil's portrayal of Stéphane was very natural. Always immaculately dressed, the way he interacted, sometimes with a smirk on his face - it made you empathize with his character. Also at times you felt like saying - what's wrong with this guy? – probably the kind of response director would have wanted to evoke from the audience. Emmanuelle Béart has acted brilliantly and looks amazingly beautiful. André Dussollier also put in a strong performance in his portrayal of Maxime. Dialogues are thoughtful - but at times their gravity made you feel that these are not the most natural of conversations. Cinematography is splendid – with close shots of characters and focus on eye and facial expressions.

ccthemovieman-1 The only things worth watching and hearing in this French film are Emmanuelle Beart's face and some of Ravel's violin music, respectively.Otherwise, this is an incredibly boring movie; a very long, drawn out soap opera. It's nothing but people yakking away. The fact national critics rave about this movie is mind-boggling. The film has little offer, even sleaze, which critics love. For those looking at the cover of the DVD box or VHS tape and thinking this might be some kind of erotic French film, forget it. There is no sex nor certainly anything erotic Unfortunately, this is very little worthy of anyone's attention.

iam Exquisitely beautiful film.Performances are sublime. I'm sure I could watch a thousand films without any of them coming remotely close to the layered beauty and grace of this one. As wonderful as it is to watch the trio of Auteuil, Dussollier and Beart, you can sometimes enjoy this movie with your eyes closed. Mais pourquoi? Ravel's music is brilliant beyond words and imagery. Even if you don't care to watch the movie again, which should not be the case if you appreciate the intelligence and artistry of French cinema, check out the soundtrack. Have had my CD for more than 10 years and it's a keeper. Film scores don't get much better than this.So much for happy endings!