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July 28, 2004
Review (movie): Le Divorce.
The first thing to note is that this movie is not a comedy. The second thing is that this is not about a divorce. This movie attempts to be a semi-serious look at the French culture: a sort of Frenchmen in the mist with better food...
We start by watching Isabel Walker (ably played by Kate Hudson) arrive in Paris as a sort of advertisement for all that is American. I’d say that This does a much better job speaking for us than much else I’ve seen. Hudson is not merely an American, though. She is a Californian; a good example of why we all they all could be...
In the very next scene, we have the titular divorce brewing. Roxy, Walker’s older sister, (Naomi Watts) is being left by her husband. Roxy doesn’t realize it at first, she thinks that he is merely packing for a trip. And we’re off...
Roxy is pregnant, of course. And there is a painting involved. And Hudson has an affair with a powerful French “warmonger” (did you know they had those in France?). Eventually the Walker Family comes to further muddle the plot provide further contrast between the French and Californians...
The movie is well structured, though it is over-full. Walker becomes more assimilated into the French culture, until finally she is able to navigate its intricacies with ease-- at least to American eyes. To French provincialists, however, she is never quite able to keep up. As Walker acclimates, the movie looses something of its investigative air. The director seems to realize this, so he brings a Brit into a scene. The Brit gets off one good line that seems to knock the entire perspective back a bit, leaving the audience to think “right, this _is_ an alien culture”...
Ultimately, the complications prove too much for the director and writer to cope with. Did the husband marry Roxy just for the painting? When did Roxy’s lawyer start seeing Roxy, and why did we only find out about it ľ of the way through the movie? Since no actual divorce takes place-- or is even filed for-- in the movie, why is it called that?
Rating:
2 Eiffel towers out of 5 bottles of French wine. Good acting makes up for some poor direction and scripting, but can’t save this unfunny comedy. I wish I were a powerful French Warmonger, though, so I could sleep with Kate Hudson...
-Update:
Needed to fix some things noted in the comment thread.
Posted by Andrew at July 28, 2004 02:56 PM
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Comments
Is she Kate Hudson or is she Kiki Dunst?
Posted by: John Foelster at July 28, 2004 05:09 PM
Kate Hudson, damn it! Thanks. Fixed.
I can never keep track of Thespian names...
Posted by: Andrew Cory at July 28, 2004 06:41 PM
Huh Huh... Huh Huh... You said THESPIANS.
But I digress, would it not also be appropriate to link to a picture of Miss Hudson as opposed to Miss Dunst
Posted by: John Foelster at July 28, 2004 08:48 PM
Picky picky. If I didn't know better, I'd say you object to Ms. Dunst...
Posted by: Andrew Cory at July 29, 2004 01:48 AM