Titreenp
SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Francene Odetta
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
leonblackwood
Review: I must admit, if I knew that this movie was full of subtitles, I wouldn't have bothered with it but once it gets going, I really didn't know what direction the storyline was going to take. At first, it's a simple concept, about a loving couple, Gemma Bovery (Gemma Arterton) and Charlie Bovery (Jason Flemyng), who move to France and become friends with the local bread maker and his wife, Martin Joubert (Fabrice Luchini) and Valerie (Isabelle Candelier), who live in the same community as the loving couple. Martin takes a bit of a shine to the flirtatious Gemma, which he keeps to himself but when she starts an affair a young boy who is studying for his exams, Herve De Bressigny (Niels Schneider), her relationship with Charlie takes a turn for the worse. Martin is a lover of the writer Gustave Flaubert, and he can see Gemma's life is taking the same direction as Gustave's book, "Gemma Bovery", which just happens to be the same name as there new neighbours, so he tries to divert her from her downfall. After planning to leave her husband with her new boyfriend, Gemma's life takes a turn for the worse when Herve is false to leave the village, by his mother. The strain also becomes to much for Charlie, who decides to leave his wife for a while, and when an old flame turns up at Gemma's doorstep, Patrick (Mel Raido), a dramatic chain of events lead to a dramatic ending, which is worth watching. I really wasn't expecting the storyline to turn out the way it did but the rest of the movie was a bit slow. I liked the fact that the quiet Martin, who was completely in the background throughout the movie, knew exactly what was going to happen but apart from that, it really didn't pick up until the end. Gemma Arterton seems to act the same in all of her movies, but she was suited for this role. It did surprise me how easily she started an affair with the local boy, without feeling guilty towards her husband but that was the mysterious thing about there life's taking the same direction as the books. Anyway, it's not the type of movie that I would usually watch, so I didn't have high expectations but I did enjoy the ending after reading subtitles for an hour and a half. Average!Round-Up: For a girl who came into the movie world in 2007 in St. Trinians, Gemma Arterton, 30, has starred in some big movies, like RocknRolla, Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans, Runner Runner and Hansel & Gretel, so her 8 year career has been pretty impressive to date. Her French accent in this movie was believable along with her flirtatious ways, which ended up getting her in trouble but she has to be careful that she doesn't become a victim of typecasting. Anyway, this movie was written and directed by Anne Fontaine, 56, who has primarily directed movies for a French market, so I haven't really heard of them. I liked the twist in this movie but it came a bit too late for my liking. Budget: 9.7million Worldwide Gross: £4.7millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/romance/comedies starring Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng, Fabrice Luchini, Isabelle Candelier and Mel Raido. 4/10
JohnnyWeissmuller
Gemma Bovery is a movie based on Flaubert's Madame Bovary, but modernised and very meta as Gemma Bovery seems, according to the narrator, bound to follow the same path as the novel's central character. Starring Gemma Arterton as Gemma Bovery, it's easy to see why her neighbour, the village baker and the film's narrator, becomes completely besotted with her. She's radiant and effortlessly sexy from the moment we first encounter Gemma and her husband, played by Jason Flemyng, as they arrive at their new home in a small Normandy village. Soon, she is well acquainted by the locals, especially her neighbour, as played by Fabrice Luchini, who can't seem to think about much else other than this beautiful girl who seems to have come straight out of the pages of his favourite novel. With less assured direction and an actor without the affable qualities of Luchini, his gazes upon Gemma and longing monologues may seem quite creepy, but this is a romantic who acts more than ably as an audience surrogate for the events in this small hamlet. Gemma, like the Madame Bovary of the novel, succumbs to temptation and enters into an affair with a young man studying at his parents' house nearby, which causes much concern for her neighbour, who sees parallels between her and her fictional namesake. Which may not make for high drama, but I found this movie incredibly charming and easy to fall for, much like the gorgeous and talented Arterton who, in one particular scene, does for kneading bread what Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore done for pottery in Ghost. Arterton also plays her character just right, because this isn't a woman scorned or downtrodden. She knows her own mind and has depths that are slowly revealed. In the wrong hands she may have been quite unlikable, but here, despite her mistakes, she's always endearing. As is the bucolic plenty of the Parisian countryside. It's only in the movie's final moments that it plays a sour note that seems unnecessary, whilst an obscure ending shifts the tone just too far. But this is a bit of a treat and a genuine surprise.
mmunier
I had one of the best time at this movie I had for a long time; so pleased after all these years I can handle both languages (unfortunately not audibly) Just the same I enjoyed so much to delve again in the 100 years war between these 2 culturally contrasting countries. But sexy Gemma was certainly a gem! As Luchini who then "said goodbye to his sexual tranquility" embarked in a wonderful human mission. Some one here said "neither very funny, nor dramatically successful" Who cares...certainly not me! If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, humour is also in the mind of the beholder. If I was a "rater" I my score would be higher than the average. There are many ways to embrace a movie, intellectually, emotionally, nitpicking ly. Once more...it was good for me!
GUENOT PHILIPPE
Another astounding comedy drama from France. Fabrice Luchini at his very best. His peak. I nevertheless don't like this actor, he annoys me at a scale you can't even imagine. His manners, his way of speaking is unbearable to me, but I repeat, he is a great actor. In this film, at last, I like him much. But what I just said is my own private opinion. This feature is totally awesome for the acting and screen writing. This movie hesitates between drama and comedy too. A pure delightful moment.Exquisite.You won't waste your time in this film.