Kung Fu Master!

R

1987

1 hr. 20 min.

Drama

List

100%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

A middle-aged divorcee (Jane Birkin) falls in love with a 14-year-old classmate (Mathieu Demy) of her daughter's (Charlotte Gainsbourg).

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Legend L T

funny name never watched lol.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I never thought of Agnes Varda as a provocative filmmaker. Of course I always knew she was a pioneer and a masterful mind, but I never thought she would do somehing so risky like " Kung-Fu Master!", and, to be honest, I am not surprised why is one of her least popular films. Even now (specially now, I would say), seeing 45-years.old Jane Birkin kissing Varda's 14-year-old son is shockingly surprising. The thing is that, despite our moral codes and social hipocresy, Varda shows such a dangerous theme with overwhelming intelligence, delicately subtle. So yes, the film deserves the applause, so Brava! for Varda's bravery, and Brava! for her skill with the camera.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

walter m

In "Le Petit Amour"(or "Kung-Fu Master!" Take your pick.), Mary Jane(Jane Birkin), a divorced mother of two, takes a liking to Julien(Mathieu Demy), a 14 year old whose parents are in Africa and is in the same class as her daughter Lucy(Charlotte Gainsbourg), after he gets sick by mixing his drinks at a party. So, she accidentally-on-purpose runs into him after school one day, inviting him to tea where he shows off his prowess at his favorite video game which Mary Jane decides to research. Towards the end of "Le Petit Amour," Julien throws a bottle with a message in it into the sea and here I am watching this pleasant movie twenty years later that reminds me so much of growing up, with all the trappings, if not the exact details.(Just because I did not know any relationships like the one depicted in the film, does not mean they were not happening in real life.) A lot of that involves teenagers who are already trying to act like adults, especially in the smoking and drinking departments, with AIDS a constant reminder in their lives.(I am reminded of the time at a college party when a friend blew up a lubricated condom. Oh wait. I just realized he said he reads my reviews. Oh well.) All of which writer-director Agnes Varda handles with wit and grace, even the more controversial elements, withholding judgment of the conflicted characters, although the movie does seem to stall a little towards the end.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

(***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Well-acted and interesting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

Well crafted film from Agnes Varda starring Jane Birkin as a 40 year old woman who falls in love with 14 year old Mathieu Demy (Varda's real life son). It also stars a young Charlotte Gainsbourg as Birkin's daughter (and hers in real life). The subject matter is handles with great maturity, never really focusing on the sex and rather on the love between two people, regardless of the age differences. The title refers to the video game Demy plays and sort of reflects on the basic plot of the film as well. This is only the second Varda film I've seen, so I really have to check out more of her work.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Agnès Varda

Director

Jane Birkin

Mary-Jane

Mathieu Demy

Julien

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Lucy

Lou Doillon

Lou

Eva Simonet

L'amie

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Clayton Dillard

Slant Magazine

Each slips in and out of a representation and interpretation of events. The question is: Which is which?

Oct 11, 2015

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

What redeems this movie and allows it to work is that it is about feelings, not actions.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Liz Galst

Gay Community News (Boston)

A story beautifully told.

Aug 25, 2022

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Captures a distinct mixture of teenage angst and suburban malaise in Varda's winning mix of discomfort and innocent fantasy.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 9, 2020

Full Review

Laura Clifford

rec.arts.movies.reviews

This oh-so-French story (think Louis Malle's "Murmer of the Heart") imagined by an ex-Pat Brit is so natural in its unfolding that one doesn't begin to question the subject matter until well into the tale.

Rated: B+

Mar 9, 2016

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 26, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

A middle-aged divorcee (Jane Birkin) falls in love with a 14-year-old classmate (Mathieu Demy) of her daughter's (Charlotte Gainsbourg).

Director: Agnès Varda
Screenwriter: Agnès Varda, Jane Birkin
Production Co: Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016