"My plan was to die before the money ran out, but I kept and keep not dying, and here I am."
Based on the novel, French Exit has an aging Manhattan socialite living on what's barely left of her inheritance moving to a small apartment in Paris with her son and cat. Azazel Jacobs made The Lovers just a couple year ago. Though it didn't exactly leave an impression on me I could see a unique style. French Exit showcases this style of quirkiness in an almost unexpected way. The author of the book Patrick DeWitt also wrote the screenplay so I'd assume that this is very close to the book. He must be a great writer but when it comes to screenplay, it does veer into something less natural. Every like if dialogue sounds like it's been written for a college acceptance essay. Words do reflect on character and these people do live an extravagant life, but nothing is natural about it. It may be intended to be something less conventional, but I feel like it was over the top, and I sometimes felt stupid for not having a large enough vocabulary in my daily conversations. Anyway, the story is there and I guess the dialogue is there as well. People have been talking about how strange of a movie this is and I now get it. There are many WTF moments. One in particular (though I already heard this spoiler) makes no sense but it works. Patrick DeWitt must've been on something when he wrote it because I'm just so confused why it's apart of the story.
The performances are very good. I couldn't care much for any character, though. Little by little the ensemble grows and we get more characters that add to this absurd story. Michelle Pfeiffer, obviously, is brilliant having received a Globe nod for her performance. To my surprise, my favorite performance came from a supporting role, that of Valerie Mahaffey as Mme. Reynard. She's just electric with her very odd character. Most of the comedy comes from her. I'm glad we get to know her more throughout the story because she made every scene she had a fun time. The movie drags itself longer than it needs to be. Many times I thought it was the end but it kept going for longer and longer. It's slow-paced in a way that it does feel long. Although some scenes bored me into a headache, I did have an enjoyable time watching. About halfway through the movie (especially when you get to the strangeness) it picks up and the rest is a good time. It kept tipping back and forth whether it knew what it was doing so I would consider it uneven. Of course, French Exit won't be for everyone. Comedy is subjective and it takes the right person to find all the jokes amusing, and with the quirky story you also need the right person. I'm open to anything so I found myself entertained. Though nobody will probably watch this since they probably never heard of it or will in the future, I would suggest this for something off-beat that makes you feel pretentious.
Based on the novel, French Exit has an aging Manhattan socialite living on what's barely left of her inheritance moving to a small apartment in Paris with her son and cat. Azazel Jacobs made The Lovers just a couple year ago. Though it didn't exactly leave an impression on me I could see a unique style. French Exit showcases this style of quirkiness in an almost unexpected way. The author of the book Patrick DeWitt also wrote the screenplay so I'd assume that this is very close to the book. He must be a great writer but when it comes to screenplay, it does veer into something less natural. Every like if dialogue sounds like it's been written for a college acceptance essay. Words do reflect on character and these people do live an extravagant life, but nothing is natural about it. It may be intended to be something less conventional, but I feel like it was over the top, and I sometimes felt stupid for not having a large enough vocabulary in my daily conversations. Anyway, the story is there and I guess the dialogue is there as well. People have been talking about how strange of a movie this is and I now get it. There are many WTF moments. One in particular (though I already heard this spoiler) makes no sense but it works. Patrick DeWitt must've been on something when he wrote it because I'm just so confused why it's apart of the story.
The performances are very good. I couldn't care much for any character, though. Little by little the ensemble grows and we get more characters that add to this absurd story. Michelle Pfeiffer, obviously, is brilliant having received a Globe nod for her performance. To my surprise, my favorite performance came from a supporting role, that of Valerie Mahaffey as Mme. Reynard. She's just electric with her very odd character. Most of the comedy comes from her. I'm glad we get to know her more throughout the story because she made every scene she had a fun time. The movie drags itself longer than it needs to be. Many times I thought it was the end but it kept going for longer and longer. It's slow-paced in a way that it does feel long. Although some scenes bored me into a headache, I did have an enjoyable time watching. About halfway through the movie (especially when you get to the strangeness) it picks up and the rest is a good time. It kept tipping back and forth whether it knew what it was doing so I would consider it uneven. Of course, French Exit won't be for everyone. Comedy is subjective and it takes the right person to find all the jokes amusing, and with the quirky story you also need the right person. I'm open to anything so I found myself entertained. Though nobody will probably watch this since they probably never heard of it or will in the future, I would suggest this for something off-beat that makes you feel pretentious.