My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend Review:

THE FILM
In a Parisian suburb a young professional woman, Blanche (Emmanuelle Chaulet), befriends a more outgoing, adventurous drifter named Lea (Sophie Renoir) who introduces her to the world of men. These include the successful Alexandre (Francois-Eric Gendron) and Lea’s own boyfriend, the sporty Fabien (Eric Viellard), who will she pick? Hint: the answer’s in the title.

Only the French could label this a comedy. Unless the joke is at the viewers expense, getting them to watch this amazingly unfunny, sexless and downright boring story. No doubt there is some irony in the filmmakers intent (I hope, otherwise he is completely without vision) to highlight how excessive modern cinema is and point out that occasionally it can be used to represent life itself in all it’s mundane normality. In this respect the film is a triumph as dull conversation follows dull conversation follows a spot of wind surfing. Nothing much else happens. The story moves to the French Open tennis tournament and we are treated to one strike of the ball before cutting back to the most uninteresting group of people since the John Major family picnic. It’s like watching The Sims video game as sprites clumsily interact with the same gormless expression and chat-up lines.

The fact that it’s set near the city of love must be the director’s biggest gag as none of the glamour or romance rubs off on this place that seems to consist of a car park and a shopping mall. Take a look at Blanches flat, a blank testament to minimalism that’d have Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen fainting with disbelief. If the characters had some spark, a sign of yearning or some unquenchable desire to find a partner then it’d be something but they go out on dates as if its part of work plus everyone seems far too old. In fact Viellard stumbles round as if he’s come to fix the boiler in some bad porn movie only to realise the only steam here is off a girl’s cappuccino.

As you may have gathered this is a nothing movie for me and I couldn’t even recommend it as a chick flick. If for you films are about escaping hum-drum existence then avoid this at all costs but if you love to wallow in your own love life misery this’ll be right down your rue.

EXTRAS
A typically French trailer is on offer plus a 20 minute short from the director that blankly looks at Paris industry. It’s in black and white so must be arty.

Rich Badley

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