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Amazon.co.uk Review
Merchant-Ivory leave heaving corsets behind for the contemporary world of Americans in Paris in Le Divorce. The day Isabel Walker (Kate Hudson) comes to visit her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts) is the day Roxy's French husband leaves her. The divorce proceedings centre around a painting, long owned by the Walkers, that the husband's family would like to claim--but their manoeuvrings are complicated when Isabel begins an affair with a diplomat (Thierry Lhermitte) who just happens to be Roxy's uncle-in-law. At its best moments, Le Divorce has the feel of one of Woody Allen's serio-comic films like Hannah and Her Sisters, and there's a genuinely suspenseful climactic scene on the Eiffel Tower. There's also a star-studded supporting cast, including Leslie Caron, Glenn Close, Matthew Modine, Stephen Fry, Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing. --Bret Fetzer
DVD Description
In a captivating, sexy comedy with a stellar ensemble cast, Isabel (Kate Hudson) heads to Paris to help out her sister (Naomi Watts) and arrives to find her jilted by her French husband. To take their minds off these marital woes, the sisters take Paris by storm, making new acquaintances by attending parties where natives and expatriates mingle. Cross-cultural romances, culture clashes and scandals ensue.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I purchased this because I had seen a trailer for it on another movie. I had not read the reviews on Amazon.Like another unconventional movie "Unconditional Love" this is the kind of plot, cast, and mood which either charms and amuses or irritates and drives the viewer mad. Like certain kinds of food it is a love or loathe. I have watched it twice in swift succession. It has some real mistakes in pacing, plot jumps, and that indecisive "is it a comedy or a drama" quality which drives some people mad. Well get real - life is a mix of both and even the things which irritate me about this movie are redeemed by great casting, strong scenes and great style - both in the use of Paris as a backdrop and the french family lifestyle. So...............I cannot recommend this film BUT I like it a lot. This may not help you to decide to buy it or not but it gives you a clue as to why the stars vary so wildly in the reviews. I was going to give it 4 stars but decided 3 out of 5 was closer to the balance it deserves.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If you are fond of linear plots in which one event leads to another and the whole leads to a more or less apparent conclusion, "Le divorce" is not likely to leave much of an impression on you. It is not even one of those typical Merchant Ivory films which hark back nostalgically to Victorian England or the times of the Raj. "Le divorce" is something like a voyeur peep into the life of two families, one upper-crust French, the other high-brow American, which are bound together by the couple whose marriage is drifting apart. The plot's dramatic flair has not been exploited enough, but as a work of art the film is delicious, especially if you like anything French: superb decors, shots of Paris, the understated stardom of a plush Hermès Kelly bag and Leslie Caron's appearance as the embodiment of French chic and cartesian rationale...all these things should appeal to you. Glenn Close is also breathtaking as ever as the American writer who after many years of living in Paris has impeccably assimilated the best of both cultures. This is not a film for a rainy afternoon or for people who seek to beguile their jaded senses. It is a film for the dilettanti, the bon vivants, to be savoured fully like a vintage bordeaux.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is an (slightly below) average quality film - it's like Hollywood andEurope on a blind date - no one really knows what to say, or how toact.
Why do I say that? Well, actually, the acting is the best part, however,this does not adequately make up for the flat humor, the rambling,conventional plot. My favorite character was the crazed ex played byMatthew Modine (who is a much better actor than given credit for in thisfilm). At least his character kept you guessing as to what he'd do, unlikeall the other formulaic bits.
The drama is forced, characters are not believable, and the few laughsthose of us watching us had are not worth the hours spent watching thisfilm.
Only watch it if you're an avid fan of many of the good actors popped intothis work. For such an impressive array of actors, many of which are nothuge names but are of good quality, it's a shame the script writerscouldn't do better by them. Pick something else to rent!
Why do I say that? Well, actually, the acting is the best part, however,this does not adequately make up for the flat humor, the rambling,conventional plot. My favorite character was the crazed ex played byMatthew Modine (who is a much better actor than given credit for in thisfilm). At least his character kept you guessing as to what he'd do, unlikeall the other formulaic bits.
The drama is forced, characters are not believable, and the few laughsthose of us watching us had are not worth the hours spent watching thisfilm.
Only watch it if you're an avid fan of many of the good actors popped intothis work. For such an impressive array of actors, many of which are nothuge names but are of good quality, it's a shame the script writerscouldn't do better by them. Pick something else to rent!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Why did they bother?
I bought this thinking that a "Chick Flick" was in order. OMG. I cannot understand why they bothered to make this. And as for the actors? Read more
Published 11 months ago by Victoria
You'll be pleasantly surprised
...after reading some of these reviews, that is. Yes, this is middle-class America meets the Parisian bourgeoisie. So? Is that not an encounter legitimately to be examined? Read more
Published 15 months ago by R. Napier
Absolute Rubbish!
I bought this film as I really like actress Kate Hudson and love her in 'How to lose a guy in 10 days' but this film is rubbish! Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2009 by Nicola A
Non Merci!
This is the strangest Merchant Ivory film I've seen to date, that's for sure! It's the story of two American sisters, the elder, Roxy is a poet living in Paris and married to a... Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2009 by SilentSinger
a film about family values and cultural differences set against...
This is a film based on a book - something James Ivory the director has done in the past but to better effect than he does here. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2008 by dan the fan
Not exactly high octane drama, but...
If you want something that's perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon then Le Divorce might fit the bill. Read more
Published on 10 May 2008 by Jennifer_Sandford
I'm in the minority!
I actually loved this film. If you want something fast paced and hollywood like then avoid this at all costs. It's a film that meanders along against a beautiful back drop, Paris. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2008 by montana
Thats a couple of hours wasted that I will never get back...
I wouldn't recommend this film to my worst enemy. I bought it (what a mug) and it's complete and utter drivel. Read more
Published on 5 July 2007 by WelshJoanne 007
Crap, crap and more crap!!!!
"Le Divorce" depicts lives and actions that are completely alien to the majority of the general viewing public. Oh the dilemmas of selling ones priceless art work!!! Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2007 by nmollo
Don't expect too many laughs
A word of warning - includes lengthy scenes in french, unless you are fluent you will need to turn on the subtitles. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2007 by Lendrick
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