Le Divorce (2003)

Wow! Such a good movie.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I just saw this movie from HBO. I watched through the end without stops. It was a very good movie and I am so surprised the movie has such a low rating. This movie brought us to Paris and it was very charming. The food and atmosphere of Paris is so enchanting. French countryside and exposure of French cultural were so beautiful and delightful. The entire ensemble cast performance was very good.

There's a definite 'curate's egg' feel about this one, not surprising given the melange of French, American and - to a lesser extent - English acting styles tossed in the blender then pressing the button marked 'hope' rather than the one marked 'perhaps not such a good idea'. The plot, such as it is, is kick-started when Melvil Poupaud, scion of an old French family, calls time on his marriage to Naomi Watts, who has (presumably) severed her American ties to live with him - and bear his children - in Paris. To lend support to her sibling, now pregnant again, Kate Hudson planes in from the US and is soon having sex with an arrogant kid, Romain Duris, and an older (55) sophisticated smoothie, Thierry Thermitte who, together with Watts, turns in the best performance in the film. There are other strands, not least the disputed ownership of a painting which Watts imported from her American 'family' home to France, plus parents in the respective shapes of Leslie Caron, Stockard Channing and Sam Waterson. it's all very light but just misses sufficient charm to raise a soufflé.

LE DIVORCE swept me off my feet. I had to fall in love with it.Merchant Ivory's films are known, first, for their sophistication. Their prim-and-properness. Whether set in India, England, the US, France or the Caribbean, they have tried to present near-accurate representation of the place they are set in. Second, they are known for their beauty. If you are watching a Merchant Ivory film, you could be sure to have a copy of the National Geographic magazine in motion, unfolding in front of your eyes, on the big screen.To say that LE DIVORCE is beautiful would be an understatement. It is Gorgeous. There is Paris, there is the beautiful French countryside, there is the legendary Hermes Kelly bag, there are scarves from Chanel, and there are Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Bebe Neuwirth, Leslie Caron, Stockard Channing, Thierry Lhermitte, Jean-Marc Barr, Melvil Poupaud, Sam Watterson, Romain Duris and Stephen Fry. In the best clothes, looking their best even when they are supposed to be sad, photographed in some eye-catching houses, rooms, bookshops, restaurants, parks and the Eiffel Tower. You need something more beautiful? Then there are the moments. Just check these out.A playful Kate Hudson at the Paris airport, who then coquettishly introduces her to the concierge (Catherine Sami) at Roxy's apartment. It is the same coquettishness with which she accepts to become Edgar's mistress. See her licking her fingers, sucking her thumb, removing the padding from her bra, shop for lingerie, grin seductively at one and all, observe very wide-eyed-ly the heated conversation between Roxy and Charles-Henri's mother. Then there is Naomi Watts as Roxy, the good, grounded sister. She reads poems with all the passion, advises her sister on why she should not receive expensive gifts from men, fights for her marriage, opposing divorce "on principle". The supporting characters are equally interesting. The wise author Olivia Pace, played by Glenn Close, who has a strong opinion about French women, right up to their fascination for scarves. Uncle Edgar played by the handsome Thierry Lhermitte; the boyish Melvil Poupaud as Charles-Henri; Sam Waterson, Stockard Channing and Leslie Caron looking every bit the harried parents; Jean-Marc Barr as the handsome divorce lawyer, Bertram; and the beautiful Bebe Neuwirth as Julia, the woman from Getty's.The very appropriately selected cast is helped by the incidents, something this film is all about. You have Paris, its restaurants, pubs, boutiques and the Eiffel Tower. You have the characters having some great time at those places and talking some very nice things. Like, Edgar and Isabel's secret meetings, and Edgar telling Isabel to prepare a drink of mint and orange and something to perfume the juices and Isabel actually trying that stuff; Isabel and Yves (Romain Duris) discussing the cultural impact America has on France with Yves telling her that some people in France actually want to drink Coke and draw Donald Duck on everything; Rhys telling Isabel that at a jail in France the inmates' uniforms are designed by Yves Saint Laurent; Isabel smiling mischievously at Charles-Henri's imbecile-looking girlfriend Magda while Charles-Henri fumbles with "certainty" and "certitude" while describing what he came at after meeting Magda; Margeeve's (Stockard Channing) "like mothers, like friends" conversation with Mrs. de Persaund (Leslie Caron) and Aunt Amelie; Margeeve's looking up terms in her French handbook; Margeeve's "not on Chester's salary" comment on the Kelly bag; Olivia's conversations with Edgar—at the bookshop "Are you still giving Kelly bags?" "Do you still have yours?", and at the Chanel boutique "are we buying gifts for the same person?"; Janely's (Stephen Fry) "only the French could serve boiled eggs with such effrontery" comment; Julia (Bebe Neuwirth) being asked "Has your saint been fasting?"; and Bertram paying the tip after the Walkers have left the restaurant. There are many such moments in LE DIVORCE, I can't remember all of them, but these are the things that make LE DIVORCE a must-watch. There's not one actor who stands out because everyone stands out. Each one is like the best.LE DIVORCE is a quintessential Merchant-Ivory film. Look-wise, manner-wise. Sets and characters have always played and important role in Merchant Ivory's films. Remember, 'The Europeans', 'Shakespeare Wallah', 'The Householder', 'Howards End', 'The Remains of the Day', and 'A Room with a View'. LE DIVORCE has been made with the same hard work that has gone into the making of each of these masterpieces. And I have always admired Ismail Merchant and James Ivory. And Ruth. There could be no one like her. A Booker winner, then an Oscar winner. LE DIVORCE, after 'The Householder', 'Shakespeare Wallah', and 'Howards End', is one of the best from this trio. Beautiful, civilized cinema. Perfect Ten.

I looked forward to watching this film on DVD after missing watching it at the cinema. It reminded me of previous films of Kate Hudson which I thoroughly enjoyed e.g How to lose a guy in 10 days. Both the fact that the actors and actresses are well known in the comedy scene as well as the polished 'ambiance' of the French capital appealed to me so I was eager to watch this film . Furthermore, by looking at the sleeve on the DVD case, I felt that the film had a lot of funny moments.At times light hearted, at others dramatic, the film could not decide between being a drama or a comedy. I was a little disappointed by Hudson's role which is rather different from the familiar image of the girl-next-door. Maybe it was a deeper role than the usual superficial character role we are used to but her part certainly did not appeal to me.On the other hand, the presence of Naomi Watts, though more limited than that of Hudson, stole the attention of the film in a sympathetic way.If you are up for laughs I would not recommend this movie. But if you are in search of a simple story and yearn all things French,give it a try.