Agnes Jaoui co-writes and directs this romantic comedy of manners set in France's rustic Provence. Unpolished and ultra-pragmatic industrialist Jean-Jacques Castella (co-scripter Jean-Pierre Bacri) reluctantly attends Racine's tragedy "Berenice" in order to see his niece play a bit part. He is taken with the play's strangely familiar-looking leading lady Clara Devaux (Anne Alvaro). During the course of the show, Castella soon remembers that he once hired and then promptly fired the actress as an English language tutor. He immediately goes out and signs up for language lessons. Thinking that he is nothing but an ill-tempered philistine with bad taste, Clara rejects him until Castella charms her off her feet. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
liked it.
Verbose, occasionally irritating, but often perceptive about human speech patterns and the fickle nature of individuals, Agnes Jaoui's comedy of manners recalls TV's
Seinfeld in its particular way of dissecting conversation for entertainment purposes and in its depiction of sometimes unappetizing characters. But debut filmmaker Jaoui (who also plays one of the featured roles) finds the quirks in many of her characters in unusual ways, which sets her work apart from cruder efforts. More than anything,
Others tries to find the root of human interaction and its subsequent effects, at times in a manner audiences might not be willing to accept, but mostly in an interesting, entertaining fashion. This film toured the world in many international film festivals, and picked up the
Grand Prix des Ameriques (tied with
Paul Cox's
Innocence) at the 2000 Montreal World Festival. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide