Film Review
Patrick Braoudé both directed and starred in this bubbly comedy of manners which,
despite its mad comic excesses and general lack of direction,
makes a fairly decent stab at portraying the complexities
of male-female relationships in the late 1990s.
The characterisation may be absurdly
over the top but the talented four lead actors give great value for money, particularly
Gérard Darmon who is hilarious as the lecherous Don Juan who has absolutely no
control over his libido or his groping hands.
Fans of Kristin Scott Thomas will
doubtless be delighted by her spirited comic performance in this film - not the
kind of role she is best known for. (The film is about as far from
The English Patient (1996)
as you can imagine.)
By contrast, Patrick Braoudé and Valeria
Bruni Tedeschi lend a more sombre tone to the proceedings, allowing
some serious reflections on how men and women relate to one another
at the dawn of the 21st century to find their way into the madcap narrative.
An unexpected treat is to see Jeanne Moreau hamming it up as some
kind of New Age therapist. In common with all of Braoudé's
films to date, not all of the comedy works, and some of it is positively juvenile.
Amour et confusions may not be up to the standard of Braoudé's previous (and best film)
Neuf mois (1994),
but where it is funny, it is seriously funny.
© James Travers 2004
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Dan is a thirty year old divorcee who designs women's lingerie for a living.
One day, he meets Sarah, an ambitious businesswoman who lives only for her
work, and they spend the night together. Afterwards, they lose sight
of each other. As he recounts this adventure to his cousin Simon, Dan
manages to convince himself that Sarah is his perfect partner and wonders
why she doesn't get in touch with him. It so happens that Sarah feels
the same way about Dan, but she is waiting for him to contact her after having
left a message for him in a vase - a vase that just happened to get broken
before Dan found the message. As the days pass, Dan and Sarah both
become increasingly upset by the other's reluctance to make contact.
When finally they do manage to meet up again it is hardly the most harmonious
of reunions...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.