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The Innocent

Play trailer 1:47 Poster for The Innocent Released Mar 17, 2023 1h 40m Comedy Crime Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Lyon, present day. When widowed marine biologist Abel (Garrel) learns that his impulsive mum Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg) is once again re-marrying -- this time to an inmate she met whilst teaching theatre in prison -- he's much more than uncomfortable. Doubting that convicted burglar Michel (Roschdy Zem) is capable of turning over a new leaf, Abel's protective streak kicks in, and so with the help of his best friend Clémence (a sensational Noémie Merlant), he begins tailing his new stepfather's movements. Their amateur sleuthing is quickly uncovered by Michel and triggers an unlikely -- and bold -- business proposition for them both....
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Critics Consensus

Giving heavy material an appealingly light touch, The Innocent is fast-paced fun that's anchored in palpably honest emotion.

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Audience Reviews

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Rob W I loved this movie, we saw it on kanopy. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/25 Full Review Vision N How to remove my rating from the movie, that I haven't watch? Rated by mistake. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/14/24 Full Review Steve C Thanks for all the caviar. The penguins love 'em Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/18/23 Full Review Neil J Hmmmm I was expecting some kind of taught thriller but it's average at best. There's a distinct lack of tension throughout and it lags. Needs more twists to get more stars. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/30/23 Full Review Alan W I was mostly confused watching Louis Garrel's film, inspired by his mother who, like his film character Abel's mother, is also a drama teacher in a prison who ends up marrying one of the inmates. Assuming the rest stems from his imagination instead of being autobiographical, the Cesar-winning screenplay which Garrel co-wrote is a hotch-potch of half-baked ideas that didn't cohere for me. Beginning as a farcical comedy, it dips in and out of romance and ends up a heist movie, which is not a problem per se and this genre blending can work if done right. Unfortunately here it just feels jarring. So when Garrel's Abel becomes suspicious of Roschdy Zem's Michel's intentions after he marries his mother, Anouk Grinberg's Sylvie, hilarity is supposed to ensue when Abel begins following Michel around Lyon, badly. However, I just find the central characters neurotic and irritating, especially Abel. The only saving grace is Noemie Merlant's Clemence, Abel's dead wife's best friend who still lingers around him, whose charming presence brightens up the screen whenever she's on but the will-they-won't-they is so obvious from the beginning, I won't even bother talking around it here as it's no spoiler to speak of. The film manages momentarily to spark to life as it reaches its third act heist, and that cafe scene in which Abel declares his true feelings almost by accident is the one decent scene in the whole film that I enjoy, but then it's all downhill from there with a disjointed ending which lacks credibility and seems artificially constructed only to set up a book-ending scene that makes the film symmetrical. By this point frankly, I don't really care and I can only chalk this mess down to the mystifying French sense of humour which must have bypass me entirely. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/24/23 Full Review Gordon G Drama, humour, romance, it's all here. Interesting characters with back stories, who interact well and develop as the plot unfolds. Engaging, entertaining, made with a bit of that French artistry. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Innocent

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lyon, present day. When widowed marine biologist Abel (Garrel) learns that his impulsive mum Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg) is once again re-marrying -- this time to an inmate she met whilst teaching theatre in prison -- he's much more than uncomfortable. Doubting that convicted burglar Michel (Roschdy Zem) is capable of turning over a new leaf, Abel's protective streak kicks in, and so with the help of his best friend Clémence (a sensational Noémie Merlant), he begins tailing his new stepfather's movements. Their amateur sleuthing is quickly uncovered by Michel and triggers an unlikely -- and bold -- business proposition for them both....
Director
Louis Garrel
Producer
Anne-Dominique Toussaint
Screenwriter
Louis Garrel, Tanguy Viel, Louis Garrel, Tanguy Viel, Naïla Guiguet
Distributor
Janus Films
Production Co
CNC, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Canal+, arte France Cinéma, Ciné+, Les Films des Tournelles, Arte, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma
Genre
Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 17, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$29.5K
Runtime
1h 40m
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