LouHomey From my favorite movies..

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

MartinHafer Well, I certainly don't think I've seen another film like "Monsieur Hire", that's for sure. The plot is super-unusual and engaging. It's the story about a very disengaged man and his very unusual life.Monsieur Hire is a loner and has no friends. In fact, he goes out of his way to not have friends. Most of his free time is spent watching from his apartment window--watching a lady in the apartment across from him. When another women is murdered, the suspicious neighbors naturally think this creepy little man is responsible. However, there is no proof.Here is where it starts to get even more strange. One night when he's staring at the woman, she is startled to see him. Now you'd think she would call the police but doesn't. I could easily say what's going to happen next but don't want to spoil the many plot twists. Suffice to say, the film surprises the viewer again and again.This is a film best enjoyed knowing little about it. However, a few words of warning. The film is very creepy and difficult to watch at times. And, if you are looking for a film with a happy ending or deep meaning, then this is NOT a film for you. But, if you have longed to see a movie that is different and can accept the film for what it is, then it's a real treat. A sad and ultimately depressing treat but a treat.

secondtake Monsieur Hire (1989)A simple movie with the protagonist and the viewer both made to be voyeurs. There is some pathos to the lonely man with some secret talents (like bowling) and some unbridled and unelaborated interests (staring at a woman through her open blinds as she dresses).But the movie suggests some true stupidity and/or willingness on the woman's part. She does not seem to be an exhibitionist, and yet she leaves herself exposed. At one point she is shocked to see the man watching. But then she gets involved with him. A boyfriend has a separate intrigue at work which complicates matters, and this isn't very well developed. And finally there is tragedy, and a kind of lyrical/awkward final scene.Director Patrice Leconte has a curiously unsensational way of treating some of these very private subjects. You want to like his films very much. They have small casts and try to deal with psychology instead of just sensation and plot. A better entry into his style might be "Intimate Strangers" from 2004, also starring Sandrine Bonnaire.You can like the intentions here, and like the mood, and maybe forgive yourself for watching the man watch the woman (that is, watch the woman yourself), but it drags as if this is enough. And it's not. And if you're looking for salacious, don't get the wrong idea. It's pretty clean voyeurism. Disappointing.

lastliberal Eight César nominations including best Actor (Michel Blanc), Best Actress (Sandrine Bonnaire), Best Director (Patrice Leconte), and Best Film; a win for Best Sound, and a Golden Palm nomination at Cannes. Enough to convince anyone that this is a film worth seeing, even if it did not include Bonnaire.Leconte, who has given us films like Intimate Strangers and My Best Friend, never disappoints. His film is a thriller about a man who watches his neighbor undress through her open window, and becomes a suspect when a young girl is found murdered.A cat and mouse game is played with Hire and the police, and a big surprise comes at the end, of course.

Lisa Falour If you've ever been in a love triangle, or were kind to someone who loved you but you didn't really love them in return, you'll appreciate the sad dance of the three main characters in this film. A young man and woman are lovers, and she is watched by her neighbor, the unpopular Mr. Hire, black sheep of a Paris near-suburban nabe. They begin a friendship, and even a relationship of sorts, while a cop tries to pin the murder of a young local girl, also an odd duck, on Mr. Hire. Not wanting to spoil the story for you, I won't say more, except to say that the slow parts are tolerable if you know in advance that this is a very thoughtful, haunting movie and you've got to be a little patient for the wonderful reward, which comes right at the end. Very pretty music, beautiful colors and details, lots of sad little moments that remind you of the loneliness of daily life. I wouldn't actually recommend this to most people. I don't think they'd tolerate the lack of Hollywood flash. If you're smart, you'll watch it though. I got it on DVD at a public library and wish I could see it on a big screen, though the DVD images are very lovely.