Reviews

A touching movie about a talented woman who struggles with a society and a love that structurally underestimate her. The issues are subtly addressed and timeless, as many of the depicted difficulties between man and woman still exist in Dutch society today. This movie is a tribute to all modern women without dwelling on feminism. Not only the story is well told, the acting and the scenery are great as well.

I have seen previous movies from Cédric Klapisch, and therefore expected a quality movie with psychological depth. Having been an Erasmus student myself and having visited several friends studying abroad, I know very well what it means to spend some time abroad and mix with different cultures at the same time. Yes, it is great fun! Because of that I thought I should not miss this movie. Unfortunately I was disappointed to find that L'Auberge Espagnol fails to satisfy in many ways: the characters are stereotyped, the events are trite and the story is shallow. Although there are quite a few familiar situations, they are irritatingly cliché and do not go beyond the trivial events. This made the movie uninteresting to watch, and gave me a strong "been-there-done-that-don't-you-have-anything-to-add?" feeling. Apart from that, the movie lacks a firm story. It sometimes looks more like a documentary or 'real-life' show than a seriously made movie.

However, I can imagine that if you haven't studied or travelled abroad, this might be fun to watch.

Nicolas works on his father's farm. The work is hard, life is though and business is not going well, so Nicolas dreams of a different life. One day he agrees to give a woman (Maria) a ride. After he has dropped her off, he is more and more intrigued by his feelings for her. Nicolas' life takes different turns, and he meets Maria again. This movie is like a warm bath on a cold winter day: beautiful, simple, all about life and how it should be. The scenery is absolutely stunning, the acting adequate. The story is not too solid, but it efficiently makes you wonder, `What's life?'.

Even though this movie is not what it could have been, it is still a pleasant sit. Jane Fonda is convincing as a distressed alcoholic actress who couldn't quite make it and Jeff Bridges is perfect as a sluggish mysterious well-doer. Although the script is a major failure, it does contain some very enjoyable close to real-life dialogues. The music is at times irritating and suggests more than is actually happening. If you're going to watch this movie, you'll have to watch it for some of its scenes, not for the overall quality.