Barbouzes
This movie aims at cute but suffers from a sloppy and tired script. It aims at realism, but instead gives us a fairy tale about the "rescue" of a bereft woman by a fine and -of course- handsome man. As that woman is in her mid sixties and her past clearly shows a lot of reliance on men all her life, this poor excuse for a scenario ("geriatric woman still attractive in France!") is not only flawed in its backward philosophy: it is also statistically improbable. No, granny, things don't happen so easily in life- sorry. I do not object to the loose threads and the little action in the script-that is actually what most human lives are about- but to keep a reasonable viewer's interest, whatever is presented to that viewer needs to be coherent and realistic. Instead, we have a disjointed road movie, where one cartoonish character after the other crosses the path of our spoiled 60ish heroine, and it feels like the director said to himself: " Oh, let's throw them in: this character is interesting! This character is fun! This character is edgy!" Unfortunately, no one in this film is either fun or interesting or edgy, or the opportunities to show them as such sadly fail to be exploited by the script. The grandson is an annoying brat, the great-grandmother is an annoying nag, and the older male rescuer is Mr Rochester (remember, Jane Eyre?): a gruff bear who transform into Prince Charming overnight. A feminist or even clever script, this ain't. An upbeat story on aging and possibilities? Not unless 1) you are Catherine Deneuve and the camera lingers on you lovingly 2) shows you smoking obsessively as if that were part of your charm (really? in 2014? How is that for a new idea!) 3) the script has young studs bed you eagerly even though you are in your 60s 4) and a strong man in your age range miraculously falls in love with you by the end. This script is a collection of magical-thinking inanities, and glorious Catherine Deneuve is wasted in them.
Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Elle s'en va" or "On My Way" is written and directed by Emmanuelle Bercot and pretty much as a whole a Catherine Deneuve showcase fittingly for her 70th birthday. She is in almost every scene in the movie and her character is the only one that is truly explored in depth.It starts as we see Deneuve's character owning a restaurant and quickly being fed up with coordinating the whole process. So she goes into her her own form of retirement. Actually, early on, I expected the restaurant background to play a more significant role in the film, but things turned out differently. Unfortunately, aside from Madame Deneuve's good performance, the film suffers a lot in other area. The performances from those who play her daughter and grandson are not convincing at all and many characters are simply too much in the face instead of quietly subtle. As a result of that, quite some credibility is lost. The writing was not outstanding either and constant random changes in Deneuve's mood (positive as well as negative) make it look a bit ridiculous as the film goes on. Admittedly, it would probably have been even worse with another actress in the main role. Deneuve saved the movie to an extent.The choice of music was occasionally spot-on, but sometimes off the mark too, which is a bit disappointing as the score is usually really strong in French films. One of the emotional highlights intended by the makers was probably the road trip with Deneuve and her grandchild, but even here it was not as effective as it could have been. As a whole, I can't really recommend this movie. Only one for French cinema lovers and Deneuve completionists.
Paul Allaer
"On My Way" (2013 release from France; 113 min.; original title "Elle S'en Va") brings the story of Bettie (played by Catherine Deneuve), a sixty-something widow who runs a small restaurant somewhere in Bretagne. Things are not well with Bettie: the restaurant is barely surviving, and her love life is in tatters. One afternoon, Bettie leaves the restaurant, on the pretense of getting some cigarettes, but instead Bettie hits the road. In a separate but parallel story line, Bettie's daughter Muriel, a single mom, has a job offer in faraway Brussels, and can Bettie pick up Charly, Muriel's 11 yr. old son, and take him to Charly's grandfather (on Charly's dad's side). Bettie reluctantly agrees. To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: first, this movie is written and directed by French actress/director Emmanuelle Bercot, specifically with Catherine Deneuve in mind for the role of Bettie. Second, I have seen many movies of Catherine Deneuve, and this is yet again a top notch acting performance. Hard to believe that she is 69 years when this was filmed! It comes as no surprise that this role netted her yet another, the umpteenth, nomination for Cezar Best Actress (the Oscar equivalent in France). But kudos as well to newcomer Nemo Schiffman who is outstanding as the 11 yr. old boy. Third, a good chunk of the movie plays out like a true road movie, French style of course. The movie takes us on the back roads of various regions in France, including of course Bretagne, but also the Loire region, and Haute-Savoie. Last but certainly not least, while there is a good amount of "family drama", the movie is also an ode to life in rural France that is becoming more and more out of reach or simply disappearing. Check out the long scene where the entire family is having dinner outside. So French! Bottom line: this movie is an unexpected pleasure which I enjoyed from start to finish. This movie showed up this weekend without any pre-release hype or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I figure this won't play long so I went to see it right away. The matinée screening where I saw this at today was better attended than I had expected. If you are in the mood for a top quality foreign movie that is miles away from your standard Hollywood fare, and where you get to watch one of the top actresses of this generation, by all means, don't miss this, be it in the theater or on DVD/Bly-ray. "Elle S'en Va" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
