Foreign Student (1994)

Memorable, crazy movie

Don't listen to the negative reviews

best movie i've ever seen.

Blistering performances.

The theatrical picture "Foreign Student" is, looked at on its own, a sensitive and often moving film. The atmosphere of 1950s Virginia is skillfully re-created, the performances, are for the most part, incisive and stirring, and the script is tender and refreshingly non- melodramatic, allowing the proceedings to evolve in a mature and realistic way. Yet for all that, all this, the greatest plus, the most positive element is--drum roll, please--Robin Givens. As April, the local schoolteacher who also works as a domestic, she deftly creates a soulful and sexual woman. We immediately see why French exchange student Phillipe is drawn to her, why he falls in love with her. Indeed, we rather envy the young Parisian for being able to hook up with such a sexy and mature and quietly passionate girl. And when, at the end, they part and April leaves him a warm and loving good-bye note ("To Phillipe. All my love. Always. April"), we genuinely feel Phillipe's satisfaction at having had such a gorgeous and caring and fully-rounded lover. It is Robin's graceful beauty, her smoldering sexiness, and her classy intelligence that make her such an admirable love object and cause her to be the high point of the picture. When People Magazine did a story on her during the 1980s, it quoted her as contending that her long-range plans included more parts for "wholesome black girls--we don't have many female heroes in that vein." Robin Givens's character in "Foreign Student" may not be "wholesome," but through her smooth good looks and stylish sex appeal, she is certainly, definitely a "female hero" for black girls and, in fact, for girls of all races.

A slightly above average film, watchable for the entire time (I saw it a lazy Sunday afternoon). It never got too slow, the plot moved along regularly, with sufficient evolving narrative to evoke interest throughout.The tale centers on a young man who leaves Paris, France to study as a freshman in college in rural Virginia. The movie heralds his attempts at acceptance, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, politically charged with one main issue of the day (race relations).The four main characters, and several supporters, were well developed. A pre-Tyson Robin Givens (as April) did a fine job, she was smoldering hot. Marco Hofschneider (Philippe) was not at his most emotional, but although some might call his performance wooden, his range of emotion seemed appropriate for me. Heck, it's not as if all actors must seem as if they're hamming it up during an audition for All My Children.Rick Johnson (Cal) and Charlotte Ross (Sue Ann) more than make up for any perceived lack of emotion by Marco with their satisfying efforts.

FOREIGN STUDENTAspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: Dolby StereoBased on Philippe Labro's bestselling memoirs, Eva Sereny's film FOREIGN STUDENT strives valiantly for a sense of lyrical beauty, exemplified by cinematographer Franco Di Giacomo's evocative vision of rural Virginia in 1956, and by the sparse poetic voice-over, much of it presumably lifted from the book. But the narrative suffers from the vacuum of Marco Hofschneider's decidedly uncharismatic performance in the crucial leading role. The central romance lacks passion.

In the role of naive French student Phillipe, Marco Hofschneider(Immortal Beloved) is extremely likeable and convincing. His character is a French student who has come to a college in 1956 Virginia on exchange, to naturally find that everything if different. He wishes to play football, but gotten it mixed up with the European version, which results in quite a mishap. He also wishes to fraternize with the local colored citizens, particularly a housekeeper called April, whom he is madly in love with...but he sounds finds out that falling in love with people of another race is also something that's well, done differently in the United States. It's forbidden. Yet, while Phil may seem simple in some areas, even he knows to keep their love a secret, and that results for more scrapes and turmoil.Forbidden love is always an interesting story, but not a very original one. Nevertheless, "Foreign Student" manages to avoid many cliches, and good performances by supporting players Rick Johnson, Edward Herrman, Charlotte Ross, and particularly Hofschneider make for a passably good film.