Main Cast: Eric Cantona, Hugh Bonneville, Anne-Marie Duff, Jean Dell, Victoria Hamilton, Douglas Henshall
Release Year: 2007
Run Time: 88 minutes
Plot
English hang-ups about romance get satirically filtered through the perspective of French movies in this witty, cinematically-literate comedy helmed by British director Jackie Oudney and scripted by Aschlin Ditta. The creators set up two narratives: in a framing device, Eric Cantona stars as the elitist, pretentious French writer-director Thierry Grimandi, who could use a lesson in humility; he operates according to the mantra, "I consider myself lucky firstly because I am French, secondly because I make movies, thirdly because I understand love." As Grimandi periodically crops up to pontificate on film and relationships, a second narrative emerges. Hugh Bonneville stars as Jed Winter, a smug, unhappy British journalist enduring a super-dysfunctional relationship with long-term girlfriend Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton). She just rejected his marriage proposal out of dissatisfaction for the lack of romantic chemistry in their relationship; they tentatively remain together, but that all seems poised to change when Jed begins to develop feelings for his friend Marcus's girl, Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff) - and it just so happens that Marcus falls for someone else, leaving the situation wide open for Jed to waltz in and sweep Sophie off her feet. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Marie Gaëlle Cals - French Apartment Woman; Vincent Winterhalter - French Apartment Man; David Matthews - Counseling Man; Nichola Christie - Counseling Woman; Gabriela Vikova - Gabbi; David Oudney - Accordion Player; Jack Crutch - Bike Thief
Credit
Georgina Millet - Art Director, Rupert Allan - Art Director, Sylvie Landra - Associate Producer, Michael Riley - Associate Producer, Aschlin Ditta - Associate Producer, Angela Billows - Costume Designer, Jackie Oudney - Director, Sylvie Landra - Editor, Jonny Persey - Executive Producer, Ben Carter - Location Manager, Stephen Warbeck - Composer (Music Score), Michele Baylis - Makeup, Rachel Payne - Production Designer, Sean Vanhales - Cinematographer, Judy Counihan - Producer, Stewart Le Marechal - Producer, Arvind Ethan David - Producer, Rachel Connors - Producer, Cindy Irving - Unit Production Manager, Vincent Michaud - Unit Production Manager, Aschlin Ditta - Screenwriter, Guy Walker - Production Coordinator, Abibou Ndyaye - Production Coordinator, Kerensa Burton - Script Supervisor, Soizic Poences - Script Supervisor, Tim Hands - Supervising Sound Editor, Françoise Menidrey - Casting Director, Toby Whale - Casting Director
Two relationships in North London simultaneously draw to a close. Jed, a journalist has fallen in love with his best friend's former girlfriend - but he lacks the courage to approach her and tell her of his true feelings. He turns for advice to Thierry Grimaldi a French film director who tries to school him in the French philosophy of love.
Reception
Reviews to the film were mixed, but many were negative. The Daily Mail described the film as "plodding and predictable - frightfully English, and not in a good way".[3] The Daily Telegraph compared the dramatic function Cantona plays in the film as a man who reveals "some hidden truths - insights and wisdom denied to most men" to a similar role in the Ken Loach film Looking for Eric released at the same time. [4]
