GeoPierpont I can relate to being very shy and not wanting to focus any attention on myself. OK , so I was 12 not 35. If I had hiccups or sneezed, the LAST thing I would do is open my mouth as wide as possible to make for the grandest attention getting sound. Well, this is just one of many minor issues that culminated in a large deficit of a sensible plot.I give major kudos to the script and scenes involving the appreciation of chocolate. I rarely eat chocolate, but while traveling in Belgium I ate 2kilos straight up, it was that incredible. Hence, I imagine we are not having access in the States to a delectable treat with many fine layers. C'est Dommage! I was confused with the English translation captions. For example, how does 'Romantic' translate to 'Overly Emotional'? There were many idiomatic phrases eliminated that would have provided an appreciation of unique and refreshing french expressions. The greatly anticipated Secret Chef reveal was about as interesting as watching paint dry. I can't conceive of a Skype call presented in this manner without any initial skepticism. What happened to the Teacher identifying a face he never forgets?? The portrayal of phobias, anxiety and severe shyness in adulthood is a serious concern and should be treated with respect. I only found this film to incite crass humor, even using a support group, to extend the joke. It should not have been the crux of every attempt at humor.The two leads were initially endearing but I grew weary of their continual breakdowns and farcical interactions. The ending provided a beautiful setting but far from a satisfying conclusion.Will recommend for appreciating the fine intricacies of the french language and deep love of chocolate confections. Yumm!!

Christine Merser Why do the French do everything with so much more finesse than we do? Jean-Pierre Ameris brings us the simplest of love stories, with characters who touch your soul, and with humorous twists that surprise and delight. Romantics Anonymous is a must-see. Must I tell you.Halfway through watching this fine film (on Netflix) I felt I could not go another minute without a piece of chocolate. We are not talking about a Hershey bar; I had to drive sixteen miles each way to Chatham Manor Chocolates for a few of their chocolate-covered caramels (without the salt) and then hightail it back to my house to watch the second half of the movie while savoring the sensuous chocolate in the way the movie demands. Clearly Director and Writer, Ameris, like most French people, knows his chocolate, and the movie is better for it. "The flavors will penetrate the chocolate. Impregnate it." Sexual. Sensual. Sensational. To ensure you need not leave in the middle, be sure and have some really fine chocolate on hand.Did I mention it's funny? Laugh-out-loud funny even as it makes you feel empathy for the painful way these two people, Jean-Rene, the chocolate factory owner, and Angelique, the secret chocolate maker, who he hires to do sales. Both of them try — and keep trying — to live in a world that is very difficult for them to navigate. He has them repeat statements just made to them in a way that is laugh out loud funny, confirming their issues. Two painfully shy people whose faces could make a hardened criminal apologize for frightening them. Two people who have a passion for chocolate and a long unfulfilled need to be loved. I loved them both. I'm so glad they loved each other.Benoit Poelvoorde, who plays Jean-Rene, is an Inspector Clouseau clone but better. While Clouseau was unaware of his own ridiculousness, our Jean-Rene Van Den Hugde is painfully aware of his. That awareness is what makes him so compelling — and a stronger character than Clouseau. His innocent presentation of his Achilles heel shyness, and his running away to regroup at every difficult moment, is moving and so very well done. And yet, he never gives up, which makes us pause to consider our own ability to walk away when the going gets tough. Isabelle Carre, Jean-Rene's Angelique, is as pure as chocolate itself. She's humble, wears a dimple next to her mouth that I have never seen the likes of on anyone before. A hopeful smile that you could practice in front of a mirror for years and never get right. The two together are magic.Ameris uses the camera in a way that follows his thought process that I haven't seen done before. For example, when Jean-Rene is interviewing Angelique for a job, the camera goes back and forth between the two over and over again, even when they aren't speaking. It helps emphasize the discomfort between them, the anxiety that silence causes for two people who are not ready for its intimacy. Back and forth, back and forth. But instead of making our heads spin, it simulates the characters' anxiety for us. Great technique. Others should try it. Works better than words.Lest you think my love is blind, there are a few flaws. There is a scene that is reminiscent of Notting Hill. In Notting Hill, Hugh Grant looks at his friends when he realizes he's made a mistake in rejecting Julia Roberts, and they all pile into a small car and speed off to correct the error before it's too late. They are all a bit ridiculous, but in a sweet way, not a silly way. I thought it was a nice scene. Romantics Anonymous has the same moment. Jean-Rene is explaining to his Keystone Cop chocolate factory workers that he has walked from the chocolate maker extraordinaire and love of his life, and they make the same plea as Hugh Grant's posse for him to get it right, and hurry. They pile into a car too small for the group and head out to find her. It's the same scene, although the Romantics Anonymous scene is ever so much better. Subtle. Stronger acting. OK, French.So two shy people meet and fall in love. They find it hard to make it work, and in the end, they know they are meant to be together. The other flaw is the ending. Running down the street leaving everyone in the church waiting for them? Not so much. Silly, and not in a good way, like Runaway Bride. (Could it be that Ameris has a Roberts/Grant thing?) It's beneath these fabulous characters. Ameris should have ended at the moment when Jean-Rene opens the wardrobe to find her waiting and directed the two to head down the hallway to their wedding. Trust me on this and edit it for the DVD version.So, load up on a few pieces of chocolate and download this fabulous film.

Tad Pole ROMANTICs ANONYMOUS puts the comedy back into the so-called rom-com genre. Relying at least 50% on physical comedy, theaters should post "Warning: Raucous Laughter Zone" notifications when exhibiting this film, if my audience at the CMU film festival was representative. Despite the primitive conditions outlined in my review of PURPLE: ORGANIZED CRIME IN A SMALL TOWN, this show was thoroughly enjoyable (mostly because A)it was 100 times more professionally produced, and B)the CMU French club hosted it, instead of the ripped-off students in the so-called Chippewa film department). Title characters played by Benoit Poelvoorde and Isabelle Carre are totally formidable here--particularly Carre, who even jumps up and clicks her heels after her first kiss in the alley outside his failing chocolate factory from Poelvoorde. If you can picture a straight Willie Wonka without Oompah Loompahs strutting around doing a seven dwarfs imitation, and then throw in the spirit of all those madcap battle of the sexes comedies Hollywood churned out in the 1930s, you will begin to have a sense of what a true gem the subtitled ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS actually is. (My summary is the funniest line in the movie, by the way, as you'll see if you watch it.)

CountZero313 Angélique (Isabelle Carré) is an expert chocolatier, the woman behind the legendary The Hermit who conquered all in the choco stakes. She is also cripplingly shy, and uses various ploys to hide her true nature. She gets job as a sales rep at a small chocolate makers, and embarks on a haphazard romance with the equally shy Jean-René (Benoît Poelvoorde), her erstwhile boss, all the while saving the company from bankruptcy.The film works because Carré and Poelvoorde are perfectly matched, two hapless souls inadvertently thrown together by the fates. The film does not shock or surprise, instead the satisfaction is in seeing the usual romcom set-ups pulled off with aplomb. A mix-up at the hotel sees the couple go to extremes to avoid sharing a double bed. Once love has been established a farcical car chase ensues to bring all the principals together. A psychiatrist plies Jean-René with cues to reveal his inner thoughts. At one point, he ironically repeats his father's mantra about hoping nothing happens to us. His tears seem genuine and a rare moment of depth in what is shallow but well-executed fun.The only jarring points are when the film tries too hard to be cute, the one song in the middle by Angélique being the example that comes to mind. These points ripple rather than jar, and on the whole this is wholesome, lighthearted fare that will bring a smile to you face.