Film Review
Seven years after making his splash directorial debut with
Sexy Boys (2001), a no holds barred
send-up of the American teen comedy at its worst, Stéphane
Kazandjian offered up this characteristically Gallic attempt to
deconstruct another staple of modern cinema, the ubiquitous
rom-com. With tongue firmly in cheek, Kazandjian weaves
together three stories, two of which take place in the real world (or
rather a French filmmaker's conception of the real world) whilst the
third is unambiguously situated in the fantasy realm of the trashy
musical comedy, which owes far more to Bollywood than the worst
excesses of Tinseltown. Whilst the characters in the latter
conform to every cliché under the sun and are destined to live
happily ever after (or at least until the sequel), those in the former
come to realise that, when it comes to romance, ideals are about as
helpful as stabilisers on a racing car (and infinitely more dangerous).
Whilst the melange of styles is jarring and takes some getting used to,
Modern Love just about wins
through on the strength of its original perspective on a familiar
genre, its slick production design and some engaging performances from
a highly talented cast. Looking less like flesh-and-blood
actors and more like CGI computer-simulated creations (which will no
doubt be cinema's next big development), Alexandra Lamy and
Stéphane Rousseau steal the show with flair and gusto in the
film's fantasy romance strand - it helps that both actors were allowed
to sing all of their own numbers instead of having to suffer the
indignity of being dubbed by someone who sounds nothing like
them. And the songs (scored by Martin Rappeneau with lyrics by
Kazandjian), whilst being caricatured to the point of absurdity, are
lethally catchy.
In contrast to the Bollywood-style fun and games in glitzy Mills &
Boon Land, the real-world romances are pretty lacklustre and follow a
predictable trajectory, which is presumably the opposite effect to the
one that Kazandjian had intended (unless he is being exceeding
post-modern ironic). What is Kazandjian really saying about the
romantic-comedy - that the genre is so inherently governed by
pre-set rules that it resists any attempt to deconstruct it? Or,
given how much more appealing the extreme fantasy version is, maybe he
is saying that the genre is at its best when it tacitly avoids realism
and fully embraces the artificial and the kitsch, allowing audiences
the chance to dream a little, to have a brief respite from the reality
of their own angst-packed relationships, which are anything but a
fairytale? After all, who really goes to the cinema in
search of truth?
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Eric, the writer of a musical comedy, is in love with Anne, but he
finds his loyalties are divided when he meets an old flame,
Marie. Meanwhile, having been dumped by her boyfriend, Elsa has
sworn never to start a relationship with another man unless she is
certain he is Mr Right. Then she finds that her new colleague
Jérôme is just that, or so he seems....
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.