napierslogs
Bertrand (Fabrice Luchini) is a lawyer on a high-profile case in Monaco, and then he meets Audrey - "The Girl from Monaco". It could be interesting except there is nothing in these characters to connect us to them.The three main characters, Audrey, Bertrand and his bodyguard had really strange relationships with each other. Way too intimate of conversations for virtual strangers. So I felt further away from them and never could care for them.I also never could figure out what genre this film is supposed to be. The plot outline reads like a thriller, but it says its supposed to be a comedy and it plays out more like a romantic drama. I can see the comedy elements, and it is light in its nature, but it's not laugh-out-loud funny. It's too strange to be romantic, and nothing interesting develops to make this a thriller. Perhaps it really is a comedy as it claims, just a not very funny one.It has high production value, it's shot well, and "The Girl from Monaco" is definitely beautiful, but there's nothing in the story to recommend it.
jnunes-1
this is a lightweight comedy that is implausible on many fronts. The lawyer is successful, but way too old for the girl, so it's not clear why she is interested in him. The lawyer is taken in by her (she's stunning), but he throws all caution to the wind and does many things that are out of character, really stupid things. The movie is lightly entertaining with the comedic elements, and with the amazing looks of the girl, who flaunts her body and looks in every scene she's in.SPOILER: Then the movie decides to get serious and it lost me completely. the two men in the film can't resist her, but they both think she's dangerous - "a witch". I won't tell you what happens, but you could easily see this film as a caution against female sexual freedom with the two men punishing her in the end. When it gets away from the comedy, it's a mess.
David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. I live a charmed life. Very few things are more frustrating to me than a movie that has one or more good ideas and manages to do absolutely nothing with it/them. Director Anne Fontame has a good track record, but here a few bucks tossed towards a screen writer would have worked wonders.The trio of prestigious lawyer Bertrand Beauvois (Fabrie Luchini), serious security guard Christophe (Roschdy Zem) and wild child weather girl Audrey (Louise Bourgoin) set the stage for some fascinating interwoven story lines. Instead we get a few good one-liners and a confused mixture of funny and dark.I am not trying to bash the film as it is enjoyable enough, but it is certainly a poster child for wasted potential.
sschimel
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!! I've been going to the French Film Fest at Lincoln Center for many years now, and this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen there. I am a huge fan of mysteries and this movies is filled with them, but not one of them is ever resolved. Note - There are major spoilers coming up.1. Stephane Audran looks fabulous, but did she or didn't she? A lot of the movie centers on her trial, and she is found guilty, but it's not ever clear what her motivation is (and the lame excuse mentioned might have worked for Dirk Bogarde in the 60s, but in 2009?) And she's a total cipher throughout.2. Several lines are uttered during the movie that seem like they're going to be clues, but are never mentioned again. They stick out like foreshadowing, or Hercule Poirot "Aha!" moments but go nowhere.3. The weather girl parties hearty and is a real good time gal, with a whole group of friends her own age, but falls in love with a nebishy older lawyer. Is she trying to compromise his case? maybe in a different movie written by a better writer.4. Does the body guard love the lawyer? The weather girl says yes, but since he's a total cipher (lots of them in this movie), we never know.5. Why does the lawyer take the blame at the end? 6. Why make this movie?