On Friday night, finally opened the two week old Netflix envelope and pulled this out, cannot remember selecting the movie, so I have no remembrance of the reason. Perhaps for the lead role, Parker Posey, now thirty something, has kept my interest since seventies period piece Dazed and Confused.
This movie was released in the summer of 2007.
This movie was released in the summer of 2007.
Movie was written and directed by Zoe R. Cassavetes, who is the daughter of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands.
The plot....
Simple, a woman born to wealth, well educated, good looking, is discouraged, all of the men she dates seem to fall short of her expectations. This has developed into paranoia of becoming a spinster, leading to excessive drinking, one-night stands, and depression and anxiety attacks. Encouraged to grow by her best friend and by her mother by trying unfamiliar social settings, she attends the housewarming party of a co-worker. At the party she has a couple of drinks and is ready to make a mad dash for the security of home. At the elevator door, she meets a friend of the co-worker, just getting off the elevator. The man, wearing a straw hat and tee-shirt, is French and speaks broken English in a very charismatic manner. The man convinces her to stay for a few drinks, a few drinks turn into a long walk through the streets of New York City, all in search of experience. Back at her apartment, they meet another friend and enjoy some wine; she in a haze wanders into the bedroom and falls asleep. The man being a gentleman sleeps in a chair and fixes breakfast for her to wake up to. When she wakes she is surprised that he is still there, perhaps even scared, this is unfamiliar ground for a girl who used to sneaking out in the dark of early morning. A strong friendship and love bond form in the short time before he has to return to France. He invites her to come to Paris, and while she is surely in love with him, feels tied to responsibilities and more so fears the leap of faith that it will require.
After he leaves, she returns to her work and ways of anxiety, she misses him. Her funk causes the beginning of an employee reprimand, during which she quits her job. Shortly after she convinces her best friend to fly to Paris with her in search of Julian. Under the pretense of delivering documents for her husbands business, the two women go to Paris and friend, a newlywed has a tryst with the man receiving the package. She cannot find him; both are to return home, when she decides at the last minute to stay a little longer, not so much to search for Julian but to make it more of an adventure in personal growth. After getting out there and starting to feel stronger, she is out of money, needs to return home, on the subway to the airport, Julian gets on. She gets up the nerve to approach him, explains that she came to Paris to look for him but is on the way to the airport to return home. Julian, at the next stop, take her bag and her hand and pulls her out of the subway car, they go outside to a café, where he says that she is going to miss her plane. Movie goes to black.
The cast…..
Simple, a woman born to wealth, well educated, good looking, is discouraged, all of the men she dates seem to fall short of her expectations. This has developed into paranoia of becoming a spinster, leading to excessive drinking, one-night stands, and depression and anxiety attacks. Encouraged to grow by her best friend and by her mother by trying unfamiliar social settings, she attends the housewarming party of a co-worker. At the party she has a couple of drinks and is ready to make a mad dash for the security of home. At the elevator door, she meets a friend of the co-worker, just getting off the elevator. The man, wearing a straw hat and tee-shirt, is French and speaks broken English in a very charismatic manner. The man convinces her to stay for a few drinks, a few drinks turn into a long walk through the streets of New York City, all in search of experience. Back at her apartment, they meet another friend and enjoy some wine; she in a haze wanders into the bedroom and falls asleep. The man being a gentleman sleeps in a chair and fixes breakfast for her to wake up to. When she wakes she is surprised that he is still there, perhaps even scared, this is unfamiliar ground for a girl who used to sneaking out in the dark of early morning. A strong friendship and love bond form in the short time before he has to return to France. He invites her to come to Paris, and while she is surely in love with him, feels tied to responsibilities and more so fears the leap of faith that it will require.
After he leaves, she returns to her work and ways of anxiety, she misses him. Her funk causes the beginning of an employee reprimand, during which she quits her job. Shortly after she convinces her best friend to fly to Paris with her in search of Julian. Under the pretense of delivering documents for her husbands business, the two women go to Paris and friend, a newlywed has a tryst with the man receiving the package. She cannot find him; both are to return home, when she decides at the last minute to stay a little longer, not so much to search for Julian but to make it more of an adventure in personal growth. After getting out there and starting to feel stronger, she is out of money, needs to return home, on the subway to the airport, Julian gets on. She gets up the nerve to approach him, explains that she came to Paris to look for him but is on the way to the airport to return home. Julian, at the next stop, take her bag and her hand and pulls her out of the subway car, they go outside to a café, where he says that she is going to miss her plane. Movie goes to black.
The cast…..
- Parker Posey as Nora Wilder, she of minor parts in a number of movies I have enjoyed, Dazed and Confused, You’ve Got Mail, and The Sweetest Thing. Parker Posey has a smile that lights up the screen. In research I found out that Posey is 41 years old, that surprised me.
- Melvil Poupaud as Julian, the French film editor and object of Nora’s break from her relationship pattern. Plays this part very well, at time the silence and body language project a confident man but having fear and loss like any other person.
- Drea de Matteo as Audrey Andrews, Nora’s best friend, and new wife of her rich ex-boyfriend. Drea, of The Soprano’s, has a unique presence playing the Italian Madonna part her again. The role is not that of a likable character, if not selfish, but the actress play it well.
- Gena Rowlands as Vivien Wilder-Mann playing Nora’s mother, another role with some unlikable characteristics, but having loving intent for her daughter. Ms. Rowland's has had a long distinguished career, of late starring in The Notebook. Rowlands is the mother of the director.
- Peter Bogdanovich as Irving Mann, playing Nora’s step father. Also, of The Soprano’s, a director of enormous achievement.
You might guess that I really enjoyed the movie, after a slow start in development of plot, this evolved into something I wanted to watch again as soon as it was over. Told the bride that she should watch the movie and she did, got bored with it, said it reminded her of that movie I took her to on our first date, Whit Stillman’s Barcelona. This was funny to me because I had enjoyed the movie for its similarities in style to the Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan.
I give this movie a rating of 45 of 50.
- Character Development, 10 of 10.
- Screenplay, 9 of 10.
- Acting, 10 of 10
- Photography, 7 of 10. The city thing.
- Plot, 9 of 10.
Watch it.
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