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| Le Divorce |
| Review Posted 2/19/04 |
 Kate
Hudson stars as Isabel Walker, the charming protagonist
in this Merchant-Ivory film version of Diane Johnson's
best-selling novel of the same name. When Isabel arrives
in Paris, she discovers her 8-months-pregnant sister
Roxanne (Naomi Watts) abandoned by her French husband.
She wants to help Roxanne untangle herself from the
mess, but soon is enmeshed in her own romantic folly:
a dalliance with Roxanne's husband's 70-year-old uncle.
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Movie Overview:
Rating:
PG13
Starring:
Kate Hudson
Naomi Watts
Director:
James Ivory
Category:
Comedy
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Cady's Take: |
 Naomi
Watts plays Roxanne De Persand, an American-born poet who is living
in Paris with her French husband, Charles-Henri (Melvil Poupaud),
and their daughter. Her younger Sister, Isabel (Kate Hudson), arrives
from the States just as Charles-Henri is leaving Roxanne for a performance
artist whom he declares to be the love of his life.
In the United States, adultery is a grave sin; in France, it is a
pardonable offense.
In America, the taboo subject is sex; in France, it's money.
Which brings us to the subplot of a painting. A painting that has
been in Isabel and Roxy's family turns out to be a valuable collector's
item and they begin putting feelers out as to potential buyers. The
only problem is that the ex-husband might want to claim a portion
of the painting in the divorce.
The movie as a whole feels rushed, bursting at the seams with seemingly
unnecessary subplots and tangential characters. High-profile performers
like Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, Sam Waterston, and Matthew Modine
are wasted because their characters serve no purpose beyond devouring
screen time.
The characters in the film are all intelligent and good-looking, yet
they don't do or - more important in a visually inert film such as
this - say anything interesting or witty. |
Cady's Rating:
 
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| Kyle's Take: |
 “Le
Divorce” was le boring. Besides making me feel guilty for
not remembering more French, I did not much care what happened to
any of the characters, or should I say charicatures. In spite of
the all-star cast, I found this movie watchable at best.
Kate Hudson plays Isabel, an American visiting her
sister, Roxy, in France. Roxy is played by the consistently bland
Naomi Watts (“The Ring”), and is in turmoil as her rat
of a French husband (Charicature #1) Charles-Henri leaves her for
another woman. I found the jokes about the French tiresome and there
was not an original quip in the entire film. Isable soon finds herself
a mistress to Edgar (Charicature #2 and Roxy’s husband’s
great uncle…yeah) and working for Edgar’s former lover
Olivia, an American writer in Paris (Charicature #3). If you see
where I am going here, the stories pile up and up and up, and no
possible resolution presents itself as even mildly interesting.
Roxy and Isabel’s parents, played by
Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing, are the only bright spot in
the movie. Perhaps it is a personal bias, both being favorites of
mine, but the scenes they were in seemed somehow infused with more
life, more spontaneity. You can skip “Le Divorce” –
don’t give it a second thought.
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| Kyle's Rating:
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| OVERALL RATING: 3.5
/ 10 |
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KEY: |
1 Star - All copies
of this DVD should be immediately destroyed.
2 Stars - Wouldn't
even watch this movie if you were getting paid.
3
Stars - Don't waste your time, there are
much better movies.
4 Stars - Wait
until this one comes out on cable.
5
Stars - Worth a rent if nothing better
is in. Recommended only for fans of the genre.
6
Stars - Entertaining, worth your rental
dollar.
7 Stars - A
solid rental, recommended viewing.
8
Stars - A must-see, everyone should enjoy
this movie.
9 Stars - One
of the best movies of the year. Guaranteed winner.
10
Stars - Don't rent, buy! Add this classic
to your personal collection.
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