preppy-3 In 1955 a French student named Philippe (Marco Hofschneider) spends a year at a college in Virginia as an exchange student. There he meets a beautiful black woman (Robin Givens) and falls in love...but that was forbidden back then. But he can't stop his feelings for her...Laid-back adaptation of a true story. It's good but distressingly TOO mild. This story has been told before and this is a good version but everything is so toned down it's hard to react to it. Also it mixes in football, blues music, a nervous breakdown and alcoholism in bits and pieces making it a jumble--the movie seriously lacks focus. Still this is not unwatchable.It's beautifully filmed and has a feel for the period in clothes and cars (LOVE Cal's one). The acting really pulls this one through. Hofschneider is just great--young, handsome and full of life. His reactions when someone tries to get him into a blues club are hilarious. Rick Johnson is also good playing his best friend Cal. Givens is pretty terrible--a one note performance but she IS beautiful. Also the film is tasteful. There is a sex scene between Hofschneider and Givens but no nudity is shown! Hofschneider however was completely nude when they filmed it--he complained it was too cold shooting it and thought it was unnecessary but he did it. All in all the film DOES work. I actually cried a little at the end. This came and went VERY quickly in 1994. It was supposed to boost Givens' career but didn't do a thing. It's worth seeing but don't go out of your way. I give it a 7.

Libretio FOREIGN STUDENTAspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: Dolby StereoBased on Philippe Labro's bestselling memoirs, Eva Sereny's film FOREIGN STUDENT strives valiantly for a sense of lyrical beauty, exemplified by cinematographer Franco Di Giacomo's evocative vision of rural Virginia in 1956, and by the sparse poetic voice-over, much of it presumably lifted from the book. But the narrative suffers from the vacuum of Marco Hofschneider's decidedly uncharismatic performance in the crucial leading role. The central romance lacks passion.

Semm I just saw this movie and thought it was great. I was moved to tears. I just loved the way you can almost FEEL the love and tension between the characters. The movie is both funny and touching. It's a great love story. I also thought the main Character, Phillipe, is very good looking which adds to the appeal.I REALLY DID feel a connection with the characters and I recommend it.

Goon-2 In the role of naive French student Phillipe, Marco Hofschneider(Immortal Beloved) is extremely likeable and convincing. His character is a French student who has come to a college in 1956 Virginia on exchange, to naturally find that everything if different. He wishes to play football, but gotten it mixed up with the European version, which results in quite a mishap. He also wishes to fraternize with the local colored citizens, particularly a housekeeper called April, whom he is madly in love with...but he sounds finds out that falling in love with people of another race is also something that's well, done differently in the United States. It's forbidden. Yet, while Phil may seem simple in some areas, even he knows to keep their love a secret, and that results for more scrapes and turmoil.Forbidden love is always an interesting story, but not a very original one. Nevertheless, "Foreign Student" manages to avoid many cliches, and good performances by supporting players Rick Johnson, Edward Herrman, Charlotte Ross, and particularly Hofschneider make for a passably good film.