Broken English

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Broken English

PG-13

2007

1h 37m

Comedy

Drama

Romance

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Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

71 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Nora Wilder (Parker Posey), a single woman, is heading deep into the doldrums as a result of disappointments in her professional and personal lives. A series of disastrous dates convinces her that love will always elude her. At a co-worker's party, she meets Julien (Melvil Poupaud), a young man from Paris, who sweeps her off her feet and invites her to France with him. Nora refuses, then wonders if she has made the biggest mistake of her life.

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Critics Consensus

Though Broken English eventually settles into basic rom-com territory, it's pleasant and good-natured, and Parker Posey is spellbinding throughout the movie.

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

How Posey's neurotic, self-destructive heroine finds her way to healing is the core of this generous film, whose moral is that happiness can't begin unless you're open to its possibility.

Jan 3, 2008

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Peter Debruge

Miami Herald

Filmmaking is a family affair for the Cassavetes, and Zoe inherits the unpretentious, performance-driven style from her father, John, while delivering a love story that's accessible enough for mainstream audiences, a trick learned from her brother Nick.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 27, 2007

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Bruce Westbrook

Houston Chronicle

Cassavetes supplies no easy answers or easy laughs, forgoing romantic-comedy beats in respect for Nora's desperation. Call this confection a romantic-dramedy with humor on wry.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 20, 2007

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Jenny Peters

Hollywood.com

Rated: 4/5

Nov 20, 2008

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Heather Huntington

ReelzChannel.com

Broken English surprised me all around: I didn't expect to be particularly impressed with it, and instead it turns out to be not only one of my favorite films I've see this year, but it will probably earn a spot in the all-time annals for me.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 22, 2008

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Brandon Judell

New York Theatre Wire

Posey's admirers will experience a sensual intoxication that fans always experience when their film goddesses are at their very best.

Nov 22, 2007

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Alain E

Overall uneven and uncertain which way to go, similar to the heroine. I can’t say that I gained any insight about how to conduct my life, if I suddenly found a time machine and got transported back to my twenties. Maybe the lesson is to use public transportation, so you can meet people that you misplaced their phone number. Lightning a candle in a Catholic church was also probably helpful.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/04/25

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babarizam D

Its a beautiful film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/28/25

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Audience Member

Ok, This is a good movie and worth keeping in your collection. There were so many elements to Nora that I saw in myself, it was nice to know what you are isn't the only thing when it often seems so. She was conflicted though which was irritating, her fawning over Guy when she bumped into him while with Julien was SO something that happens, she acted like Julien wasn't even there and it enraged me, haha. She did to him in that scene what other men had done to her, which was a turnoff to liking her, for me. She redeemed herself though through the course of the movie and the ending it awesome. Great story and well acted and it's nice to have a relationship movie that feels 'Normal' and not contrived or a bunch of random tropes smashed together.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

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Audience Member

Enjoyable film. Parker Posey and Drea de Matteo seem very real in their roles. Nice rom com.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Audience Member

I loved this movie when I first saw it soon after its release back when I was in my 30s. I really related to Nora's neuroses, even though mine weren't nearly as obvious as hers. I just watched it again in my 40s and all I can think of is that no gorgeous and seemingly sane man like that would stick around for that amount of crazy. But maybe I dont look like Parker Posey. Still like the movie, just seeing it through very different eyes a decade or so later. Wonder what HIS story is to make him stick around.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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scott s

I feel that this movie could have been better without the clunky dialogue. The performances in themselves were fantastic and the pace was good, but the dialogue has much to be desired.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Zoe R. Cassavetes

Director

Parker Posey

Nora Wilder

Melvil Poupaud

Julien

Drea de Matteo

Audrey Andrews

Gena Rowlands

Vivien Wilder-Mann

Tim Guinee

Mark Andrews

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Synopsis

Nora Wilder (Parker Posey), a single woman, is heading deep into the doldrums as a result of disappointments in her professional and personal lives. A series of disastrous dates convinces her that love will always elude her. At a co-worker's party, she meets Julien (Melvil Poupaud), a young man from Paris, who sweeps her off her feet and invites her to France with him. Nora refuses, then wonders if she has made the biggest mistake of her life.

Director: Zoe R. Cassavetes
Producer: Andrew Fierberg, Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente
Screenwriter: Zoe R. Cassavetes
Production Co: Vox3 Films, Backup Media, HDNet Films, Phantom Film
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sexual Content|Language|Brief Drug Use)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 22, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $955.6K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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