Charlotte for Ever (1986) User Reviews

Pointless and boring

[Groverdox · 4/10 · 17 February 2017]

"Charlotte For Ever" is a great example of the way the French like to fetishize suffering. It's a movie about a mopey alcoholic recovering from the accidental death of his wife who seems to be having a great time. He just slouches around his apartment, muttering meaningless pseudo-philosophical dialogue, while apparently seducing teenage girls, including his own daughter.

Or does he? There's no sex in the movie, but it keeps suggesting as much. For example, during a mundane conversation with her old man, young Charlotte takes off her top, unexpectedly, and turns to approach him. End scene.

What happened after the scene ended? Other times we see the old man and Charlotte in bed together, implying sex has either happened or is about to happen, but we never see it.

And what to make of the scene where Gainsbourg's Stan strips his daughter's school-friend and she stands there like a mannequin while he fondles her breast?

I think that Gainsbourg knew the controversial premise would be enough to sell tickets. Incest and paedophilia would be bad enough, but when the father and daughter are related in real life? It worked for the song/music video "Lemon Incest", and here, Gainsbourg repeated the trick.

I just wish he had bothered to make an actual movie with a story, characters, or some kind of point. What we have is just a tedious slog, with a pointlessness that is almost laughable.

Oh, and for the raincoat brigade? There's not really enough nudity here to justify your attention, I don't think. And there's certainly no eroticism.

It's a waste of time for non movie enthusiast

[swift_robber018 · 5/10 · 24 March 2016]

like what the title says, it is just a waste of time for non movie enthusiast. boring plot, boring scripts, overused music, boring setting weird acting, uninteresting character, etc. the only thing that is worth watching here is if you want to explore/discuss incest and paedophilia.

if you want to see a serge and charlotte gainsborough film, please, this should be the last thing on your list. it might turn you off considering that there are lots of other high caliber gainsborough films.

if you would like to see charlotte, i recommend antichrist.

Pretentious and plain boring.

[andy_n_johansen · 2/10 · 16 April 2010]

I would only recommend this movie for fans of Serge and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Most of the movie takes place in a really dark apartment where we are witnesses to long tedious conversations between the main actors, discussing a lot of nonsense. Pretty much all conversation is delivered unconvincingly and if it weren't for the big name that Serge Gainsbourg is, then this movie is just too boring to be a work of well-made art. It really wants to be a cool and dark art house movie, but succeeds only in putting you to sleep unless you buy the whole idea of the screenplay.

The music is quite nice, but is just repeated constantly with the same numbers played in between scenes that really doesn't do anything for the story. The music is just a relief when we see everybody's sad faces and Charlotte Gainsbourgs ass and naked body. Sadly the best scenes of the movie is two scenes with girls wiggling their sexy behinds, and some cool shots of a car exploding.

The camera-work is fine as well, but there is not much interesting material to work with here.

What a load of pretentious crap.. but a nice ass.

[KnatLouie · 2/10 · 6 May 2010]

The story evolves around a failed writer, who tries to get his comeback going again, while he sits at home and drinks with his obese friend, both mumbling on and on about a bunch of stuff that nobody really gives a rats ass about. He is a very repulsive and uninteresting character, who wears a filthy black glove to allegedly disguise his badly burned hand (but this doesn't really lend anything to the plot at all), which he apparently got while trying to save his wife, who died in a terrible car-accident, which we see in numerous flash-backs. This also lends nothing to the plot at all, but contains a well-filmed, great explosion, that was just completely wasted in this film.

Meanwhile, his teenage daughter Charlotte (also Gainsbourg's daughter in real life), just prances half-naked around the house, sometimes bringing her skanky friends along, whom her father for some reason is able to seduce and have sex with, and they all dance to his music throughout the film.. wow...just wow.

Not quite sure what to make of this film, but I do know that all those reviewers who gave it 10/10 must either be die-hardcore fans of Gainsbourg, or just old horny guys who love seeing scantily-clad teenage girls dancing and stripping to 80's synth-pop music.. that's ALL this movie is about. The acting is horrible, the story is almost non-existent, and the music gets very repetitive.. fast! I don't think I've ever seen such pretentious crap get so much praise before.. AVOID! I can only give this movie 2 stars. One for the exploding cars, and one for Charlotte shaking her ass to her father's music. If only the film was like that for 90 minutes, it would've been a masterpiece.

Pretentious B.S.

[billcr12 · 2/10 · 23 June 2012]

A writer played by Serge Gainsbourg, is asking his agent for money which he needs because he is broke. His agent argues with him, and asks for the script he is supposed to be working on. After some prolonged begging, he finally gets the cash after promising to finish the script.

His daughter Charlotte is used as his on screen offspring here for a sense of reality. They argue constantly about her mother's death in a car accident in which she blames her father for causing. We get repeated flashbacks of a Porsche crashing into a fuel tanker and a fiery explosion. In between, old Serge drinks, has sex with various prostitutes, and reads from classic literature, including Lolita, to his fifteen year old daughter. He has inappropriate behavior with her, including some brief nudity of young Charlotte. The film goes nowhere, it just drifts from scene to scene with no direction. Why Mr. Gainsbourg would subject his young daughter to this subject matter at fifteen is beyond me. I was bored by Charlotte Forever.

Charlotte Forever is NOT fantastic

[potless · 22 April 2004]

Maybe I've missed the point or perhaps you have to be some kind of pretentious art house aficionado to understand the point of this movie. Let's see some guy washed up in his career has reached a mid life crisis and has hit the bottle hard (are you following me so far?), his raison d'être appears to be his daughter Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg)who doesn't seem that balanced herself. Rather like walking through mud in the middle of a storm, you're treated to his angst and insecurity and her angst and insecurity throw in some nudity as well (this is a French film after all) and some miscellaneous characters and that's your plot. The acting is fine, this film is disturbing and deeply depressing and is best avoided unless you really want to be entertained this way

Sorry Serge....

[remy-10105 · 1/10 · 16 June 2021]

Love Serge...Love Charlotte.... Hated....the movie.

Charlotte For Ever is FANTASTIC!

[leparrain5 · 10/10 · 3 December 2003]

Both Charlotte and Serge Gainsbourg give fantastic and touching performances in this near true to life story. Directed by Serge it is a true masterful work that is really not known... beautiful and thoughtful. Charlotte Gainsbourg is very young, I think she is 15 years of age but shows the depth and star power that is to come. It is not for the faint of heart because this film is heartbreaking.

Something very boring!

[RodrigAndrisan · 2 October 2018]

Serge Gainsbourg, a very talented musician, a little bit crazy and the daddy of the shameless little girl, Charlotte Gainsbourg. As a film director and actor, Serge Gainsbourg's career is very controversial. He had a few interesting roles when he was young, but in old age he failed completely. This film has absolutely no artistic value of any kind. It's very very annoying, super-boring and stupid. Charlotte Gainsbourg and two other teenage girls show their breasts just for the sake of showing their breasts. The song with the same title as the movie, repeated indefinitely, is not a success either.

A must have

[freeintexas903 · 10/10 · 27 June 2005]

I have no idea why anyone would not find this movie just short of great, I can't rave on and on but I assure you that this movie is well worth watching, owning, collecting and so forth. I gave it a 10 because the acting was so realistic and that my fellow film watching friends is the key word in any movie I assure you, Charlotte Gainsbourg's nudity did not hurt this film either, she is built to the hilt, hey I don't lie here OK? Get it and don't listen to these sticks in the mud that is always downing something. This movie is coming back soon here on Amazon I hope.

Purview

This movie is well worth purchasing

[chadbb6 · 9/10 · 27 June 2005]

Charlotte Forever is not fantastic it is Super Fantastic in the way it draws you in, not mentioning Charlotte's nude scene alone is enough reason to purchase this movie, he nude scene is above Super Fantastic in the eyes of this simple viewer, I may not be an expert as some but I do buy movies and watch them with my mind and eyes open. I have watched this movie 3 times and it is great simple as that, not a 10 but great. There is deep disturbing feelings from Charlotte's dad Serge Gainsbourg as he played out his role, it appeared to me he did not have to act at all to be in the state he acted out, also seemed to me this simple viewer, he took over the scene's a number of times but Charlotte being a true actress did not give in and acted as good if not better than any 15 year old I have seen to date. Get this movie by all means! That's all I have to say bout that.

Purview