Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

French Film

Play trailer French Film Released Jan 28, 2009 1h 28m Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
50% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
English writer Jed (Hugh Bonneville) thinks he understands love better than Thierry Grimandi (Éric Cantona), the French director he interviews. But when Jed's relationship with Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton) falls apart, he reconsiders the notion of love with the help of Thierry, as well as his relationship counselor and his friend, Marcus (Douglas Henshall). Jed soon ends up falling for Marcus' girl, Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff), and realizes there is something to the French people's idea of love.

Critics Reviews

View All (18) Critics Reviews
Edward Porter Times (UK) The director, Jackie Oudney, gives Bonneville and Duff's scenes a proper romcom glow, but Aschlin Ditta's script resorts to a lot of faffing about to postpone the inevitable happy ending. Rated: 2/5 May 17, 2009 Full Review Dave Calhoun Time Out Not a good film by a long stretch, but there's something so harmless about this debut directorial effort (from a script by Aschlin 'Scenes of a Sexual Nature' Ditta) that to pull it apart would be like savaging a child's first attempt at storywriting. Rated: 2/6 May 15, 2009 Full Review Wendy Ide Times (UK) The writing - unfunny, repetitive - is barely sitcom standard; the lighting is brutal; the performances desperate. Rated: 1/5 May 15, 2009 Full Review Don Groves sbs.com.au A bland, unfunny Gallic/English stew. Rated: 2/5 Dec 31, 2010 Full Review Victor Olliver Teletext Director Oudney's great skill is to play a touch on national stereotypes (that's comedy for you) before delving into the heart of her characters. Rated: 8/10 May 20, 2009 Full Review Philip French Observer (UK) The film is clever, funny and emotionally truthful and the parodies of Grimandi's films are deadly accurate. May 17, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (34) audience reviews
Audience Member Funny film about love from different perspectives. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member WOW......WOW......WOW......WOW.....WHAT A MOVIE......I HAVE JUST SEEN THIS MOVIE 4 THE 1ST TIME N THINK THAT THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE 2 WATCH......its got a good cast of actors/actresses throughout this movie......I think that anne marie duff, Victoria Hamilton, hugh Bonneville, eric cantana, play good roles/parts throughout this movie......I think that the director of this comedy/romance/drama movie had done a great job of directing this movie because you never now what 2 expect throughout this movie....its got a good soundtrack throughout this movie...... The film received an overall positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes film review site, achieving 53% positive reviews. Reviews to the film were mixed, but many were negative. The Daily Mail described the film as "plodding and predictable - frightfully English, and not in a good way". The Daily Telegraph compared the dramatic function Cantona plays in the film as a man who reveals "some hidden truths - insights and wisdom denied to most men" to a similar role in the Ken Loach film Looking for Eric released at the same time. I think that this is such a lovely little romantic movie 2 watch, it is such a fantastic romantic movie 2 watch, it is such a really enjoyable movie 2 watch its got such a great cast throughout this movie.......I think that this is an enjoyable romantic movie 2 watch with a great cast throughout this movie it is such an enjoyable movie 2 watch with a great cast throughout this movie...... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Reasonably watchable romantic dramedy Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review walter m In "French Film," struggling with the preparation for an interview with noted film director Thierry Grimandi(Eric Cantona) is the least of Jed's(Hugh Bonneville) problems as his ten-year relationship with Cheryl(Victoria Hamilton) has just taken a turn for the worse recently when she turned down his marriage proposal. So, they are now in couples counseling. At least, their friends Marcus(Douglas Henshall) and Sophie(Anne-Marie Duff) are doing much better, even with the threat of a bit of Marcus' past returning back into his life. "French Film" is an amiable enough movie with a likable cast(it's nice to see Douglas Henshall smile for a change) that barely acknowledges an incident that could be thought of as emotional rape which dwarfs any discussion of journalistic ethics. Otherwise, the movie resembles a Woody Allen film (or Woody Allen doing European films) more than the French films it seems to be commenting on. A large part of that involves separating the fiction from the reality in a relationship as the movie makes a great case for it not being important how two people meet("Scandal" has the exception to this rule) but rather how much they love each other.(The movie implies that there is something seriously wrong in Jed's waiting 10 years to propose whereas it could have just been a case of not wanting to wreck a good thing.) For example, most of the significant people I have known in my life I have met in incredibly insignificant ways. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member it was kinda ok... strange love movie Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Very entertaining movie. There is no single formula to love, it is all how you view it and laugh about it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
French Film

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

The Hottie & the Nottie 6% 31% The Hottie & the Nottie Watchlist And Then Came Love 17% 32% And Then Came Love Watchlist Made of Honor 15% 55% Made of Honor Watchlist Blind Dating 25% 47% Blind Dating Watchlist The Accidental Husband 11% 36% The Accidental Husband Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis English writer Jed (Hugh Bonneville) thinks he understands love better than Thierry Grimandi (Éric Cantona), the French director he interviews. But when Jed's relationship with Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton) falls apart, he reconsiders the notion of love with the help of Thierry, as well as his relationship counselor and his friend, Marcus (Douglas Henshall). Jed soon ends up falling for Marcus' girl, Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff), and realizes there is something to the French people's idea of love.
Director
Jackie Oudney
Screenwriter
Aschlin Ditta
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 28, 2009, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 28m