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Kung Fu Master!

Play trailer Poster for Kung Fu Master! R 1987 1h 20m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A middle-aged divorcee (Jane Birkin) falls in love with a 14-year-old classmate (Mathieu Demy) of her daughter's (Charlotte Gainsbourg).

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
Kung Fu Master!

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Agnès Varda
Screenwriter
Agnès Varda, Jane Birkin
Production Co
Sony Pictures Classics
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Runtime
1h 20m