ElMaruecan82 "Forget you don't stand a chance, and just go for it! Who knows, it might work out of a misunderstanding!"This is Jean-Claude Dusse's seduction advice from French comedy classic "Les Bronzés Font du Ski" and it sounds like the kind of quotes Woody Allen would have delivered in one of his early zany comedies. And ever since his film debut with the 'Splendid' Troop, Michel Blanc has always been a sort of Woody Allen's counterpart, never quite lucky with women, even managing to get bullied and towered by Gérard Jugnot. So he kind of makes a point with this cynical yet well-exposed tactic. Michel Blanc, like Woody Allen, was never cut for the leading man roles: bald, at 5'5 and with rather average looks, but he had a prolific career nonetheless and great films in and behind the screen. Still, he wasn't really love-story material.But his self-derision made him lovable with this self-consciousness that inhabit losers and make them such appealing characters and Blanc such an endearing actor, and the merit of "Je Vous Trouve Très Beau" is to have exploited the best facet of the actor, from the chuckle inducing title. It means, literally, "I find you very attractive", which is one of the French sentences Romanian girls learn in order to compliment their French soon-to-be husbands, but when you have a bitter and grouchy farmer looking like Ayme in front of you, it's hard not to make this sound awkward. Even Aymé is tired of hearing women telling him that he's good looking, and when one of them, named Elena (Medea Marinescu) says that he's not that handsome, well, he's vexed but at least, she seems sincere. The film was made at a time where Romania wasn't in the European Union so I might understand why they were eager to flee to the country of "Tour Eiffel", "Moulin Rouge"… although with Ayme, they were candidate for disappointments at first sight.But Ayme doesn't make himself more likable or sexy, he's rather straightforward about his expectations, he doesn't need a wife but a help, not a body or a heart but hands, and from the way he's seen interacting with his wife, shortly before her death, it's obvious that Ayme never had anything worth someone's love, not the looks, not even the time. But it doesn't matter, Elena doesn't want the fairy tale, she needs money to open a dance school for her little girl. As a matter of fact, she's the closest to a dishonest character, but I wouldn't call her that, because she seems genuinely interested in making Ayme's life better and it's painful to see her attempts and the cute way she brings him food at midday being welcomed with anger. Of course, we know it's a matter of time before Ayme's heart is defrosted, but the situations are so touching and humanly pleasing that the film is better to be enjoyed without really caring for the plot. Indeed, it's only when the story must move forward a little that it gets predictable or needlessly contrived. The film is the directorial debut of French comedienne Isabelle Mergault who was mostly known for being a guest in a TV show, and this is a role no one saw her coming and yet she made one of the most successful films of the year. I'm not surprised because as she said, she was so scared she prepared everything, she had her story set and when she came at the field, everything turned well. I wish she would have trusted her story enough to enrich it with a few subplots. For instance, Ayme never says Elena is his wife, and there's a blooming romance between her and a young farmer that could have lead somewhere. This is a film that is so confident in its simplicity that it almost affords to be surprisingly good at some parts; so good you wish it had tried a little more at others. Also, I felt like some pivotal moments were missing and compensated by needlessly overwritten scenes.There's a moment where Elena puts on a sexy nightgown and waits for Ayme in the bed, but when he comes, he yells at her and calls her a whore, she slaps him and leaves the house. When he comes to her, he apologizes, but then goes to a long speech detailing how he's not angry with Elena but himself. Here I thought the film could have done without it, because the characters are well-written enough so we know the anger isn't directed to Elena, so this part said a lot about the directors' lack of confidence in her material. The irony is that some parts are underwritten, besides the courting young farmer, how about Ayme's friend? When he discovers the truth, I don't see why he doesn't confront Ayme in a straightforward way instead of playing riddles with him. It didn't seem consistent with the niceness of this character.The film isn't very ambitious except in telling a good love story and it does, thanks to the actors' performances, it doesn't take many risks but at least, we feel satisfied at the end, and it is so touching it inspired one of the most enduring reality shows about farmers looking for the great love. One might think that this film has hit a sensitive chord, if it had influenced a reality program that made couples possible and families. Not bad for a directorial debut.

john-575 Each year in Australia Alliance Francaise in conjunction with Palace Cinemas run a French Film Festival in Feb/Mar 2007 which brings out a wide selection of the previous years best french films all sub titled in English for those francophiles here but who are not able to understand the spoken word.2007 we had a wide selection of films, Depardieu, Romain Duris and this small gem I'm reviewing here. Truly it was the pick of the whole festival and by a country mile.http://www.frenchfilmfestival.org/vi...4/Default.aspxI have not seen Michel Blanc before who must be in his late 50s. THe female lead Medeea Marinescu is actually Romanian and plays a Romanian woman who Michels character brings her to France when after his wife dies he finds himself short of hot meals, clean clothes and help around the farm. Since there are few prospects for a wife in the area, he engages a marriage agency to find some help.Medeea's character and performance in this film are fantastic. You can find her other work at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0547614/ I just hope this film opens some more doors for her. If you like warm hearted, romantic comedies this is cream. Deep down I believe every man is looking for an Elena SPOILER AHEAD At the end of the film I would be running towards Elena. I'm not sure if Ayme does. If a local distributor does not pick this up they are mad (12 months later this has not happened in Australia)A word of thanks to Antonio the boss of Palace Cinemas who was sitting in the foyer of the Westgarth Cinema last night and was kind enough to open the door for me when I was making my way back with a couple of hot chocolates and a brownie. Australia cinema goers and film festival fans have so much to thank you and your family for. Westgarth since you took over has a real buzz. We are very lucky to have a film enthusiast like you running a cinema chain. (If anyone saw the story of Anthonio's family story on ABC Dynasty series recently you will know what I mean. http://www.abc.net.au/dynasties/txt/s1790161.htm

Hari Nam This is a charming story of unlikely companions cast together by circumstance and hard choices. It is interesting to see how the protagonists use their situation, once they have committed initially to their self interests, to pay each other back, and with love and compassion eventually find what they do not expect. Each phase of this progression is clearly imprinted in the viewer's experience from both points of view in a very patient, but not slow, immersion into the characters' hearts and psyches. The effect of this is to erase the viewer's point of view and leave the audience with a memorable impression of the whole, which is beautiful to behold.

writers_reign Yet another French actress has turned, via screen writing, to directing and turned out a minor gem first crack out of the box. Inasmuch as it's set on a farm and involves an older man and a young woman it is reminiscent of The Girl From Paris - and that's not a criticism; Mathilde Seigner and Michel Serrault were both excellent - and shows that it is possible to put a spin on this type of story. Michel Blanc farms what seems a touch too many acres for someone working with only a wife and a simple hired hand. Within minutes his wife expires off screen via the electric milking machine leaving Blanc with no one to cook, sew, scrub, do the milking etc so he takes the Dating Agency route and winds up in Bucharest interviewing lots of gorgeous young girls who have all mastered the same mantra 'you're so handsome'. Only one girl, the lovely Medeea Marinescu (who actually hails from Bucharest) has the wit to effect an interest in farming and winds up his best of a bad bunch mate of choice. We've been here before, of course, notably in Rachel And The Stranger, when it took stranger Robert Mitchum to make William Holden see Loretta Young as something else besides a mail-order bride, but this is none the worse for that. This is all about relationships and how difficult they are to both establish and maintain and how people CAN change the habits of a lifetime - a sequence where Blanc, who doesn't like parting with a buck, lays a few thousand euros on Elena and tells her she's cracked the lottery would normally want some swallowing but here we're more than happy to accept it. Two exceptional leads, a low-key story with just the right amount of sentiment; highly recommended.