lor_ No need for my redundant review of this engaging French drama, driven (as the first-time director admits) by a desire to showcase the brilliant actress Sandrine Bonnaire, but the film's earliest scenes immediately had me wondering. Why didn't star Kevin Kline bring his better half Phoebe Cates with him to Corsica to play the enigmatic role of L'Américaine (portrayed instead by Jennifer Beals) in this film?Like many a fan from the '80s, I've long awaited Phoebe's return to the screen (apart from the indulgent "The Anniversary Party" featuring her whole family with Kline), and here would be a perfect opportunity: just as Charles Bronson's wife Jill Ireland, after her own successful career, later appeared in roles of varying sizes in nearly two dozen Bronson vehicles, Cates would have been a showstopper here, not that Beals is deficient in any way. It would have at least taken away the cryptic nature of Beals showing up at all -with Cates we'd know why.After this popped into my head during the first reel, I remembered that I had, by mere happenstance, had the pleasure of watching movies in theaters in NYC back in the '80s sitting next to both of these great beauties: at an Italian new filmmakers showcase held at the Quad Theater (Beals) and at a Times Square screening room (Cates). So I'm the Kevin Bacon, just like Kline, connecting the two, as trivial a fact as you will ever want to know or more likely not know about.

c0nfuzi the premise is promising, the actors were great, the subject is deep. what could go wrong? well the script was at times either too much or predictable which turned me off. the characters were typical. when she had that argument with the Doctor, the scene is so random that it feels like they had to jeopardize the friendship right before the final act. the beginning was deceitful. the way she learns how to play chest is unrealistic. the outcome was deceitful. at the beginning, all the self-empowerment and self-fulfillement was all right, it's all inspiring until the main character decide to cheat her husband without guilt and consequences. just like that.

intelearts Joueuse is one of those French films that tenderly and charminlgly warms the heart - it is beautifully made with fine acting, a measured script, never too much or too little - and it rewards the viewer.The plot of the cleaning lady who discovers chess and a mentor has strong fairytale tones: she is poor, he lives in a château but has withdrawn from the world. She has a husband who struggles to understand his wife's new found interest and growth, he struggles with human interaction. Throughout there is a nice balance around the relationships that makes sense.Above all, this is a film about discovering that the things we do for pleasure bring their own reward. The chess is very well-handled throughout the film and it makes it fun to watch.The film has heart, humour, and is nicely unmelodramatic. One of the better films I have seen recently, a pleasure to watch and simply enjoy.

jotix100 Helene, a married woman in Corsica, works as a maid in a local hotel to help her husband, a dock worker, make ends meet. One day, as she goes to clean up a room, she is surprised to find the couple staying in it out in the balcony engaged in a game of chess. It intrigues her the way the young woman beats her man, in what appears to be skillful playing.Helene also cleans the house of a lonely American widower, Kroger, living in seclusion in a big mansion. She discovers her employer owns a set of chess. Kroger, entering the room she is cleaning, sees her observing the pieces of the game, and politely asks her to put it back where she found the box. Helene decides this is a game she must learn. It will be her way to escape her dreary life.As her husband's birthday nears, she buys him an electronic chess set, something that baffles him. Little does he realize the game is not for him, but for her. Helene gets bold when she asks Kroger to teach her to play chess in exchange for her cleaning the house for nothing. He agrees, and thus begins a strange relationship between these odd couple that apparently has nothing in common.The game begins to take hold of Helene in ways she never suspected. Her work at the hotel suffers because all she thinks is about moves and timing as she prepares herself mentally for the meetings with Kroger. Helene becomes so good she beats Kroger almost continuously, something that pleases him. They even share a game where each one go through movements in their minds without a board. They discover an intimacy that will not go beyond the afternoon sessions. In the process, Helene gains respect to make it in the local tournament and the possibility of making something else of her life.This is a delicious film that will delight chess players and even people that have no idea about the game. "Joueuse" is the first film by Caroline Bottaro, which she adapted from a Bertina Henrichs novel. The game, in a way, is a metaphor, one in which Helene gets empowerment through her knowledge of a game that is dominated by males. It is also a sort of liberation for the Corsican housewife without any possible future other than being a maid because she has no other skills. Her determination to succeed is bigger than all the obstacles that come her way.An inspired Sandrine Bonnaire, one of France's leading actresses, is a joy to watch in the film. Ms. Bonnaire is usually seen in more dramatic fare, but she makes a delightful contribution to the success of this movie. Kevin Kline surprises as Kroger, the enigmatic man suffering an unknown lung disease which never comes clear. The relationship between Helene and Kroger is never sexual, although there is an electric current between them all the time.Strongly recommended for fans of chess and for the strong combination of Sandrine Bonnaire and Kevin Kline under the direction of talented Caroline Bottaro, a new talent in the French cinema.