God Is Great and I'm Not (2001)

Memorable, crazy movie

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Reading the message boards and some of the reviews for this film, I was amused (and I confess, a bit surprised) at how few viewers seemed to grasp the point. This is the sort of film that you have to think about while watching; it requires something on the part of the viewer. It's not meant to be passive entertainment. Yes, Tatou's character is annoying. Yes, Baer's character is irritating. But that's the whole idea. Tatou's "Michele" is a shallow, superficial fashion model in search of a "great cause" to identify with. (Of course, we know that no top model was ever like that, don't we!) Her constant reading of self-help books and what I like to call "bathtub philosophy" (like bathtub gin, it is home made and of dubious quality) leads her on a "spiritual quest" in the modern sense of the buzzword that spirituality has become--the search for a feel-good factor that will make her feel better about herself, her decisions and her life. Baer's "François" considers himself to be above all need for religion, heritage, even his own history. He's too intellectual (in his own eyes) to need any of those "crutches". And yet he is drawn into a relationship with the dysfunctional, needy Michele because neither one is happy with themselves and both hope to find someone to fill the gaping hole in their lives.I have known many people of this type personally...they wander from one idea, one philosophy, one country, career or "lifestyle" to another without ever really committing to anything. That's why it says "To be continued" at the end of the film: these people will search forever, without ever seeing what's right in front of their noses. Their personal movie will go on...and on...and on. When the lights come up at the end of the show of their lives, Death will take them totally by surprise.At first, I found the choppy editing annoying and confusing; it looks like a poorly made end-of-term project for film school. But that also helps make a point. Real life doesn't follow a nice, smooth script, and you can't edit the final rushes to suit yourself. It is what it is, with all its mistakes, out-takes, missed cues and forgotten lines. This is one of those minor films that can grow on you with time, if you learn to see beyond the surface into the ideas behind the emotions. It's only "shallow" if you fixate on the reflections...the water underneath is deep, and full of surprises. No, it's not Oscar material. It will never have mass appeal. But of its kind, it's considerably better than many viewers seem to realise.

Audrey Tautou was just beginning to happen when she made this movie; she'd appeared in a good half dozen films of which the best by far was Tonie Marshall's Venus Beaute in which she got to play alongside Nathalie Baye, Mathilde Seigner and Micheline Presle where she couldn't help picking up some strong tips on technique. She made God is Great back to back with Amelie and, as luck would have it, Amelie was first out of the gate and the rest as they say ... So what of this; well, it's patchy, quirky and the director has an annoying habit of cutting to Black in the middle of a scene and sometimes coming back to it a few seconds later as if the film had run out and they couldn't afford another complete Take so they just carried on after they reloaded. Eccentric is a good word to describe it though I accept that some viewers will opt for charming. It's one of those where if you're in the right mood you'll respond but if you're not there's a chance it could irritate you.

For fans of the film AMELIE, despite starring Audrey Tautou, this film is NOT a reprise of this role, though you can't blame her for branching out to other type roles (and I certainly enjoyed her film HE LOVES ME).The film's sole focus is Tautou and her quest for spiritual fulfillment. You soon see that when her character does something, she does it 100% and is totally "gung ho"--at least for a while. While this is initially entertaining, her character is so screwed up and self-involved that you really find her annoying over time---her relationship with her mom, her suicide attempt, her desire to become Jewish, etc. all revolve around her. So, the spiritual journey itself COULD have been an interesting plot element--but her character wasn't. I think I would have liked the film if it had a more likable, less self-involved and shallow character.She's cute in this film too but also shallow and stupid. As a result, her performance, over time, becomes a little bit annoying and trivial--so much so that the film becomes just a time-passer.Did I mention that she was shallow?

'Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite' is a little film by Pascale Bailly that spends a lot of time trying to tell a story in bits and pieces with numerous characters, interesting in and of themselves but confusing to the viewer, attempting to keep up with the breakneck speed of this French comedy. The saving grace is the presence of Audrey Tautou and a few other actors whose screen magnetism holds our interest.Fresh from a breakup with a boyfriend Bertand (Mathieu Demy) top model Michèle (Tautou) is a wreck of a person flirting with all manner of religious outlets (Hindu, Buddhism, Catholicism, etc) trying to find something to make her crazy life make sense. She encounters a veterinarian François (Edouard Baer) who is a secular Jew (non-practicing, closeted, etc) and not only does she fall immediately into bed with him (and a next morning attempted suicide!) she begins to stalk him trying to embrace Judaism - a fact that at first drives François away and then a little mad himself. The manner in which Michèle and François study Judaism and all its graces and restrictions is (I think) the basis for the rest of the story: the filming technique of flashbacks and fragmentary moments and cutesy scribblings on pages are paced to confuse and make this simple story a maze to follow! Along the way we meet some interesting types including Valérie (Julie Depardieu) who opens her door to her first psychology patient (Thierry Neuvic) and promptly falls in love with him; Ali (Atmen Kelif) who is Michèle's nutty fashion photographer and a number of others. There are funny moments, touching moments, absurd moments, but they are loosely strung together. In the end this is a fun film in which it is a bit trying to connect all the dots! In French, English, and Hebrew with subtitles. Grady Harp