Broken English (2007) User Reviews

Plum Part for Parker Posey

[Buddy-51 · 7/10 · 9 December 2007]

Zoe Cassavetes' "Broken English" is a comedy/drama about an attractive young woman who, through her neuroticism and emotional insecurities, keeps sabotaging her own happiness. Even though she works as a manager and troubleshooter at a trendy Manhattan hotel, Nora Wilder doesn't lead what one would call a particularly fulfilling life. Unable to make a lasting connection with any of the men she meets, Nora finds herself drifting from one meaningless encounter to another, a situation that only exacerbates her already deep-rooted fears and vulnerabilities.

In its structure, "Broken English" has a freeform looseness that keeps it from feeling over-plotted and contrived. And while there are times when the movie seems to be serving up pretty much the same scene over and over again, Posey's winsomeness and charm make us care about the character. In fact, without her, the movie would be considerably less compelling than it is. She manages to make a likable figure out of a character who might otherwise be seen as excessively whiny and self-pitying. And even though the mood of the film is generally light and playfully ironic, there is some genuine pain in the story as well, as Nora struggles with the very real issues of loneliness, panic attacks and depression.

The actress receives impressive support from Drea de Matteo ("The Sopranos"), Peter Bogdanovich, Gena Rowlands, Justin Theroux and Melvil Poupaud, but the movie is Posey's all the way.

inexplicably touching

[r-13579 · 7/10 · 26 January 2008]

It is a story that could have been very tired and cheesy but the script and acting made this one of the most superbly created film in modern day movie history.

The emotional nuances throughout the film was impeccably delivered by both Posey and Poupaud. Cassavetes achieves the perfect balance of emotion and understatement in the realistic yet hopeful portrayal of a woman's struggle with her own insecurities.

Melvil Poupaud however is the true gem of the film. His portrayal of Julien is masterfully executed and inexplicably touching. This movie is a rare find.

Before Sunset+Lost in Translation+Sex in the City

[siderite · 7/10 · 20 September 2007]

I like Parker Posey, she is obviously a talented actress and (I like to fantasize) chooses a lot of roles in indie films. This movie is obviously something that meant a lot to the writer/director, because it is both detailed and nonlinear. However, I did not find it really interesting. Maybe because I am a guy and I am not American.

The story is about a neurotic New York woman, desperate to find true love, and finally stumbling on it by accident with a French guy. Their romance is not everything that happens in the film, though. You have to spend a lot of time following her failed relationships, both sentimental and at work, her pushy mother, the failing marriage of her best friend and a lot of other stuff. As a "life movie" how my parents called this kind of stories, it makes a good one, but not much of an attractive one. Or maybe I just didn't empathize with anyone in it.

Bottom line: solid direction and acting, but quite a bore of a script. Women might enjoy it more, but judging by the reaction of my wife, it takes a bit more than just gender.

Mildly enjoyable, but largely recycled

[emperornorton9 · 6/10 · 5 June 2007]

Broken English is a formulaic romantic comedy about a thirty-year old woman's (Nora, well played by Parker Posey) search for love. This is a story that has been around the block and while director Zoe Cassavetes barely manages to make the film her own (somewhat redeeming) through the many colorful subplots of Nora's suitors and acquaintances. much of the script is riddled with contrivances and stilted dialogue.

Cassavetes discusses some of her film's main themes in an interview: "When I thought of the idea for Broken English it was at a time when I was totally overwhelmed by people asking me whether I was married or had a boyfriend...I think it comes at a certain age where society almost insists that you fall in love, get married and have children." This theme is dealt with primarily in the first half of the film, before Nora meets Mr. Right, but is conveyed in such a way that much of the dialogue feels stiff and forced; the characters archetypal. Nora's parents are presented as one-note slot machines that serve only to question Nora's marital status while Nora continues her seemingly fruitless search.

Most of the romantic-comedy conventions are here. Nora suffers from sexual frustration, depression, anxiety; their source is apparently her inability to find a man. Her parents are a burden. Nora's best friend is the married counterpart and Nora's big romance is put on hold due to her lover's return to France, only to be resumed in a predictable reunion at the end.

Nora goes out on several dates, the first of which is a hilariously self-obsessed and pretentious movie actor, well played by Justin Theroux. Another acquaintance of Nora's provides a more original and charming scene with a middle aged Frenchman who offers her drunken advice. Nora is also deeply moved by a psychic who tells her fortune as she walks down the street. These vignettes make up the film's own voice and creative strength, the rest is mildly enjoyable, but largely recycled.

And The Point Is?

[wespain · 18 September 2007]

Parker Posey and a generally good cast struggle against an underdone script. You can sort of see what the writer and director intended, but it doesn't really come off. In spite of Parker's best efforts, and they are quite fine, this film meanders along on its surface. People suffer in affluent, superficial ways. There's lots of whining about alienation and loneliness. Yet no one has any observable problems that warrant their apparent dysfunction. It's hard to feel much affinity for the spoiled, self-indulgent female friends who complain about their fates in a somewhat muddled fashion. This is a story where character development is essential, but nothing of the sort arrives in time to redeem the unlikeable best friends whose personal travails should evoke interest and sympathy from the audience.

Rather dull--but see it for the cast.

[ThrownMuse · 6/10 · 16 September 2007]

One of my most anticipated films of the year turns out to be a bit of a typical rom-dram snoozer. Despite a stellar cast, Zoe Cassavettes' first film is a bit of a misfire. It seems she was going for an old-school type of romance film with a modern (yet unoriginal) twist, but I watched this thinking "If I wanted to watch an old-fashioned romantic drama, I'd rather just watch a movie from the 40s." Not to compare this to the breakthrough film of that-other-daughter-of-a-famous-director, but this totally has a "Lost in Translation" vibe going on. Except it isn't nearly as engrossing or well-made. The movie's best feature is, of course, Parker Posey. I do give credit to Cassavettes for taking a chance to show something that not many other directors have been willing to do--that Posey is a brilliant dramatic actress. Sure, she's a brilliant comedienne and this is what she's known for, but one look at "Broken English" or "Personal Velocity will" prove that this woman is every bit as good as your Streeps or your Hepburns. She just needs better roles! Justin Theroux is excellent, though only in the film for 15 minutes or so. I do fear he's getting typecast as the cocky yuppie or Hollywood type. So this one isn't a total waste of time, but I'd say it's for fans of the cast only.

A Masterful Posey Keeps Cassavetes' Low-Budget Debut Film Afloat

[EUyeshima · 6/10 · 27 August 2007]

Like father, like daughter. As the daughter of maverick indie filmmaker and actor John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands, first-time director/screenwriter Zoe Cassavetes has a pedigree that inevitably comes with exalted expectations. Interestingly, you can see traces of her father's recognizably low-budget, improvisational-feeling style in this 2007 character study masquerading as a romantic comedy. She's fortunate to have recruited the wonderful Parker Posey to portray Nora Wilder, a confident guest-relations manager at a luxury boutique hotel who is also a neurotic thirty-something concurrently longing for and repelled by the thought of a long-term commitment with a man. What makes this film a bit meatier than an episode of Sex and the City is in the idiosyncratic ways Posey informs her multi-layered performance as she attempts to show a flailing dignity in the face of every possible humiliation she could suffer as a single woman within her married social circle.

The rest of the film does not quite measure up to Posey, as Cassavetes has her going through the paces of dating men particularly bad for her until by happenstance at a co-worker's cocktail party, Nora meets Julien, an affectionate Frenchman who appears quite smitten with her. They naturally embark on a weekend fling that neither wants to end. The rest of the movie plays out in a predictable pattern but with some odd quirks along the way. The result is not a misfire. However, there seems to be a desperate reliance on Posey to bring it all home, which she does handily. Still, there is a charming performance by the charismatic Melvil Poupad as Julien, and he makes Nora's attraction understandable even if the script does not allow him to counterbalance the film.

As married best friend Audrey, Drea de Matteo plays a frustrating character drawn strictly by the numbers, while Justin Theroux manages to exude smarmy conceit as the self-absorbed actor who manipulates Nora. Cassavetes conveniently has her mother play Nora's meddlesome, well-heeled mother with a not-quite-present Peter Bogdanovich as her second husband. The film drags somewhat in the last third, and the ending is both pat and familiar given all that has come before. Still, it's hard to resist Posey excelling in such a fully dimensional role. There are quite a few extras on the 2007 DVD - a fifteen-minute making-of featurette, a thirty-minute episode of HDNet featuring extensive interviews with Cassavetes and Rowlands, and about sixteen minutes of deleted scenes, two of which are comically awkward encounters at the opening cocktail party with an urbane married older man (Griffin Dunne) and a friendly lesbian (Nadia Dajani).

yawn

[robbierobinson · 3/10 · 4 July 2008]

Honest to God, halfway through B.E. I thought, "This director has watched too many John Cass. movies." I did not know his daughter directed it until I looked at the box. Lots of scenes with only one or two people on screen does not necessarily make drama. Nora was annoying, not sympathetic,and did not make an ideal victim. You don't get a Purple Heart for self-inflicted wounds. Was that supposed to be an arty ending? I was just glad it was over. On a positive note, I gotta give Zoe C. credit for doing something that was arguably a little risky, although it seemed tailored for film-fest crowd. I went out with a woman like Nora a few times, until I realized she was boring and an emotional black hole.

In B.E.II, he dumps her after 2 weeks and swears never to go out with an American woman again.

Great performance by Parker Posey...so what else is new?

[asc85 · 8/10 · 26 November 2007]

I was interested in this film due to the mostly positive reviews, a story line that interested me, and having the opportunity to see Parker Posey, who for some reason has an intensely strong cult following, but is unable (or maybe doesn't want) to get to that next level of Hollywood movie stardom.

But then I started reading some pretty negative reviews from some of the people commenting here on IMDb, so it tempered my expectations. And maybe that was a good thing. I really liked this film more than I thought I would. It seemed real, understated, and "soulful," as Zoe Cassavetes likes to say about her film. It actually reminded me a lot of the movie, "'Til There Was You," where we see another seemingly desirable and attractive woman unable to find love, and clueless as to why that is the case.

Parker Posey's pain and anguish in some of her scenes was like watching a raw, exposed nerve. Great script and excellent direction by Zoe Cassavetes. I look forward to seeing what she (Cassavetes) chooses to do next.

A Good Man Is Hard To Find ...Or Is It A Good Woman ...?

[fwomp · 6/10 · 8 November 2007]

Women nowadays don't feel the need to connect with men on a marital plain. And that is pretty much how Nora Wilder (Parker Posey, FAY GRIM) feels her life turning out.

Bad date after bad date, Nora leaps headlong upon every man she meets or is set up with (including one horrible blind date arranged by her mother, played by the estimable Gena Rowlands).

From meeting movie stars to momma's boys, Nora is sure that she'll spend the rest of her life withering away, loveless and alone. Even her job at an upscale hotel seems headed toward nowheresville. But then she happens upon Julien (Melvil Poupaud), a visiting Frenchman with no reservations about relationships. Their dating rapidly escalates but each holds back their love for fear of losing themselves to the opposite sex.

Funny moments occur as Julien's poor English enunciation turns mundane subjects into firecracker discussions. Nora's stress of dating someone she might actually grow to care about leads her to alcohol and her medicine cabinet, needing something to salve her anxiety about how much she's beginning to care for Julien.

When Julien finally tells Nora that he has to go back to Paris, it is a hammer's blow to Nora's life. Julien begs her to come with him, but Nora has friends, family, and a job to worry about. So Julien leaves and gives her his phone number "just in case..." "Just in case" happens, as Nora flies with a friend to Paris and quickly learns that she's lost Julien's phone number. Unable to locate him ("His name is like John Smith in America"), she decides to simply enjoy herself while on vacation and scurries about Paris. But when it comes time to leave, she can't. She realizes that she's been staying in Paris only to see Julien again. She remains for a while longer but finally, regretfully, decides to return to the U.S. On her trip to the Paris airport, however, she discovers she's riding the train with Julien, and the two reconnect via happenstance and serendipity.

Although schmaltzy and awkward in many places, BROKEN English has that quirky feel to it that makes many of its failings watchable. Parker Posey gives a powerful emotional performance as a woman in conflict with the times and her need to connect with someone meaningful. French actor Melvil Poupaud is handsome, a bit gruff, and just as strange as Parker Posey's character, which makes them play off each other exceptionally well.

The pacing of the film is exceptionally slow, however, especially the first five minutes in which all we do is watch Parker Posey put on make-up and look in the mirror five-hundred times; something you should be prepared for. The pacing does pick up in places, but it can get tiresome watching the mundane for just as many minutes later on.

Paint-by-number independent festival film

[edouard_monpetit · 3/10 · 17 November 2007]

Some films seem "long" because it demands the audience's attention at all times, others are so because the audience is bored. "Broken English" falls comfortably in the latter.

I have a feeling, in making Broken English, Cassvetes sticks with "safe" grounds. The topic, the set, and the characters are nothing new to those familiar to the "chick flick" genre. Being an independent film, she could have been a little more bold in her story, but she was too worried about pleasing the judges than the audience.

Instead, it is reduced to a "checklist" independent film. Lead role with obvious personality flaws - CHECK! Cheated by playboy celebrity - CHECK! Man in "sexy" accent - CHECK! Nice guy and gay friend - CHECK! Ethnic representation (Jewish, Hispanic, Asian, etc) - CHECK! Friend has secret psychological problems - CHECK! "Romantic" location for ending - CHECK!

The interesting thing is, the broad brush Cassavetes used to paint the "typical" American woman: perpetual depression, distorted reality, aimlessly looking for "happiness" in the wrong places, fear disguised in a sense independence. Is this the message she is trying to convey?

To sum up, "Broken English" tries to be groundbreaking, or topical, or both. But it ends up being a paint-by-number independent festival film. The distinction comes not from the satisfaction of the audience, but from the tick marks on the judges' evaluation forms. I hope films such as "Broken English" is not indicative of the trend in independent film making, but I am probably wrong.

A Little Zoë Cassavetes Triumph

[gradyharp · 10/10 · 27 August 2007]

BROKEN English has so many of the elements of films that are becoming difficult to find these days - superb intelligent script, a story that is frankly what it is instead of an overdone parody of itself, a director who knows how to pace a storyline to keep it compelling, and a cast of first class actors who have the gift of diving right to the core of characters we all meet every day and making us care about them. Writer/director Zoë Cassavetes may be young in her trade, but she here gives evidence that she clearly knows her way about creating fine movies! Nora Wilder (a mesmerizingly fine Parker Posey) has looks, a good job as a client relations director of a smart New York hotel, but she is now in her thirties and in comparison to her friends she is a social wasteland. She simply cannot find a satisfying relationship in this time of fast one night stands. Her mother (Gena Rowlands) is supportive of her plight and her best friend Audrey (Drea De Mateo, proving that she indeed is a fine actress) who is supposedly in a 'good marriage' with Mark (Tom Guinee) understands her needs and is willing to help, but all Nora can end up with are losers like mouthy actor Nick Gable (Justin Theroux) and morning after hangovers - until she encounters Frenchman Julien (Melvil Poupaud). Julien sees and appreciates Nora for who she is and while Nora seems on the brink of having found the perfect guy, her past history of failed romances prevents her from staying in the moment. But when Julien must return to Paris (seemingly the door of exit for yet another mismatch), Nora eventually gathers her courage and accompanied by Audrey sets off to Paris in hopes of joining the effervescent Julien. In Paris the two women search but cannot find Julien, but what Nora finds is herself - and that is rewarded by a climax that brings the film to a satisfying close.

Though Parker Posey has given us some excellent independent film roles in the past, nothing can match the magic she brings to this role. In fact the entire cast is so fine and so well motivated and directed by Cassavetes that every detail of the film is polished and shines like a the little triumph the film is. Highly recommended. Grady Harp

Sweet though sometimes slow

[bela_bombastic · 7/10 · 14 January 2009]

Parker Posey is an amazing actress and was able to carry this movie with some real hard to swallow details. Being lonely, being scared what people think, being scared that you come off as desperate, all of these problems and more are dealt with in a really sweet but thought-provoking way in this movie.

I enjoyed the characters a lot and though the ending was kind of a romance cliché, it was pleasing. Plus, there's really no such thing as a cliché anymore, because everything is a cliché. If she didn't find him, that would be the anti-cliché, which itself has become a cliché. But enough of my rant.

I loved the character of Nora, and I liked how the movie was subtle and truthful about relationships. I think the humor lied in the honesty of being alone and wanting so bad to find that right person, but knowing that there are problems you have to deal with in yourself before its a good time to fall in love.

In summation, it's a good movie about finding love even when you feel extremely anxious and worried about love. Or something like that. I would see it if I was you.

Crap Screenplay, Wonderful Actors, Lousy Movie

[ambimom · 3/10 · 18 August 2007]

This is one very, very long, massive pity party, punctuated by one plot device after another, filled in with uninteresting, unfunny moments that were supposed to appear quirky and charming. Frankly, I would have preferred a plot. This screenplay is a crime against some superb actors. Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud are two of the best young film actors working today. They didn't deserve to be in this drivel, not to mention Drea de Matteo and Gena Rowlands, two more of my favorites. I am embarrassed for all of them. What a tragedy that they are wasted in this wretchedly excessive exploration of self pity among the pretty and over-privileged. I wanted to love this movie. I hated it. Absolutely hated it. Not only is it NOT a comedy; it makes no sense on any level of reality. The sub-plots are ridiculous. The ending even more so.

Shallow, Mainstream and Sentimental

[Judith333 · 4 October 2007]

This film is a shallow treatise on the problems of locating love for a young woman in the city. The main character is self-centered, and yet seems to have no real interests. She is desperately looking for someone to love her in order to save her from herself. She is not really interested in other people, only in their ability to "love" her, even if they are assholes and total strangers. The movie takes the position that her attitude is normal, and in doing so misses an opportunity to be interesting. The movie fails to make an assessment about the existential problems of the character, or to question her myopic vision and lack of center and dignity. The film, like its characters, is a surface without a center, and ends up being mainstream, shallow, hollow, and sentimental. It's no wonder that's it's safe for audiences today, for it reinforces the popular idea that women are dependent on men for their happiness and to fill a hole or void. The film is indeed a fairy tale, for a woman who behaves like a depressed, mopey, self-hating dishrag all of the time would be very lucky to find a man to love her.

Broken Young Women

[piry12 · 6/10 · 15 January 2011]

In the beginning Nora looks at her face in the mirror with tremendous sadness, trying to get ready to smile out there.

Later we see a a not very convinced Drea de Matteo listening to her husband's speech about love and marriage. Both of them (Nora and her friend) take medications (I don't think this is a coincidence in the movie) maybe Prozac? But nothing is solved, just like in real life, you live with your problems day after day.

Nora complains that she doesn't have luck with men but with Melvin she started complicating things for no reason and freaking out for the wrong reasons too. His face reflects awe when he witness so much unexpected drama. (the incident in the bakery is a good example) Is it random that he is French and she is American? I would like to think so.

The yoga, the pills, the drinking to relax, the thinking that sleeping with someone the first night will influence the outcome of a relationship, are all interesting and common events/thoughts that don't really make their lives better. One is married and the other one is not but yet, they are suffering. And this suffering, it seems to me that the movie suggests it, is not only related to the men, but to something withing themselves.

A tale of lonely people

[ArizWldcat · 6/10 · 24 January 2007]

We attended a screening of this film at Sundance 2007. We chose this movie because we are Parker Posey fans, and she indeed did a great job portraying Nora, a single 30 something woman who desperately wants to find a partner to accompany her through life. Her character keeps making unwise choices, however...such as dating an actor she meets while doing her job as a hotel customer service manager, among other "dead end" men. Finally, she meets a young Frenchman and falls immediately into bed with him. (well, she waits a whole 2 days before going to bed with him...apparently a difficult feat amongst young women these days...just an annoying comment on my part). They have a lot of chemistry and the story was enjoyable enough. I don't think this film will have a lot of commercial success, however, as it was too "artsy" for the average film-goer, who apparently want more of the Die Hard and Spiderman type movies and less of this.

Six months later: It's now July and the movie is starting to be released in theaters. I honestly cannot remember much about it, which indicates this was largely forgettable. I am disappointed that this was only a "so so" movie. There are so few films in this genre that I was truly hoping that it would be better.

This is a better film than many seem to be saying

[ocarol7 · 7/10 · 15 August 2007]

I will admit that I expected very little from this film due to some of the harsh criticism it received and and not a being a big fan of romance films in general. I nearly didn't see it. However, I was drawn in by the Cassavetes/Rowland connection and I'm glad that I was, enjoying it more than I expected.

It is very much a young woman's film made, in my opinion, by a talented young woman filmmaker whose future work I look forward to seeing. I liked the somewhat meandering look into this likable albeit anxious character played well by Parker Posey. I found myself hoping that she would give up the reflexive crutch of alcohol that she and all those around her seem to over use, maybe as her life becomes more satisfying to her, and I wish Cassavetes had made a stated point about that somewhere in the film. I appreciated the moments of awkward silence with Nora and Julian, showing just how uneasy making a new connection can be. And I think that the pacing was just fine, a bit like life with a few magical cinematic moments thrown in for good measure.

I could also easily imagine Nora choosing not to make contact with Julian in the train after she spots him, having struck out on her own in Paris and perhaps changing her perspective on things, but then that would have been a whole different film....

dumbest movie ever

[mc10213 · 2/10 · 31 October 2007]

This was one of the lousiest 1.5 hours of my life. Nora is a stupid and annoying woman who is also desperate, immature and boring. Her character made me cringe-- why was she so monotone and emotionless? Oh except for her anxiety attacks... yeah, whatever. and why does her being 30 make her feel SO OLD? shes so stupid. She needs a male blow up doll.

If she whined any more about how she just wanted to feel loved by a "good guy", I would've puked.

Not to mention, she's a drunk. She's drinking in every part of the movie. it's like she cant go through 24 hours without having at least one glass of alcohol.

And every 2 minutes of the movie, there's Someone with a drink in their hand.

The movie is annoying, unforgivable and seems unfinished. I hated this movie with a passion. Really a waste of time.

Stupidest story line ever.

"You know you're going to miss your plane?"

[screenwriter-14 · 9/10 · 24 June 2007]

BROKEN English reminded me of the magic of BEFORE SUNRISE/BEFORE SUNSET in a Parker Posey "Tour De Force" with a performance that captures the vulnerabilities that all of us have in ever finding love. The film is a delight to watch, but in Ms. Posey, one of America's best actors, the story rings true in today's world of "work, work, work" and if you play, "God, I hope I find someone worthwhile!"

I loved this film on so many levels-fabulous cast, writing and of course, location-New York and Paris, are just two incredible cities that you want to find romance with someone very special. Melvil Poupaud was an exceptional discovery and his French charm worked so well on the screen. Vive La France! I salute Zoe Cassavetes who has directed and written a story that brought me back to remembering the beauty of watching Ethan Hawke and the glorious Julie Delpy romp and play in both Vienna and Paris with characters you wanted to stay with, and hope they would be together forever.

In BROKEN English, I would love to see another story from Paris on how Nora really found love and happiness. Merci beau coup, ZoeCassevetes.

A dramatic illustration, closer to reality

[axile007 · 7/10 · 23 April 2010]

Broken English closely captures the trouble faced by a girl in carrying on relationships & her desperation to find someone whom she can marry. The main theme of the story is to try looking for someone who can be your appropriate match or what inputs you need to give in a relationship to make it everlasting. May be the problem which a person is facing are not worth worrying or important. Well coming to the movie, Parker is beautiful, young & independent girl. She had been in many relationships which probably ended up with sex or she fell for someone who is already married ,in short she always end up picking a wrong match for her. What she exactly wanted was some guy who is reliable, caring & ready to be committed. But her continuous failure in relationships freaked her out until she found out that its not only true love that she was expecting from her life. It meant more than that. There are two aspect of relationships. For some people its not more than a casual affair but for others it may means a lot. So its all about picking up a right match for you. Otherwise on a serious note it may lead to frustrating consequences like feeling of failure & insecurity in life. This movie is very well handled in terms of acting and direction specifically. So at least the people who care about sensitive & mature topics should give it a try.

I Can't Believe I Watched the Whole Thing!

[jan-603 · 3/10 · 30 December 2009]

Dull, tedious story of a neurotic, marriage-fixated, anxiety-ridden alcoholic who somehow gets a great guy interested in her. I guess the moral of the story is "Life is so unfair"? Even worse than the shallow plot, trite dialog and phone-in acting is the grating "music" - I actually started turning down the volume whenever it was playing. It makes elevator music sound like Mozart! Not only was there little chemistry between the two leads, there was even less between the two so-called best friends. Don't casting agents check for that during try-outs? Only for die-hard fans of Posey, who does the best she can with the boring script. All others, stay away - there are so many better rom-coms: The American President, Love Actually, Lars and the Real Girl, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle... almost anything is better than this one.

Beautiful and Understated

[kelliejoan · 8/10 · 6 October 2007]

This movie was understated and may seem slow to some, but if you are able to understand the subtlety of Parker Posey's facial expressions, will you understand the journey of the movie. The French actor did a remarkable job at being real, interested, while avoid the stereotypical European romantic. His role was solid and his confidence greatly contrasted Parker Posey, whose role was a passage of the female soul during moments of indecision and self-doubt. To me, and to anyone who has had a similar experience, the movie holds great weight. I also was partial to the film's soundtrack, which features a great song by Soundtrack and Scratch Massive. It adds to the movie and to its subtle introspection.

A sweet story

[gbill-74877 · 7/10 · 4 March 2024]

"Most people are together just so they are not alone. But some people want magic."

Broken English is a low-key romantic comedy written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, and it's about a 30-year-old woman (Parker Posey) trying to find someone she can settle down with for life. It's at its best in its first half as she navigates various dating situations, and Posey has some really nice moments here, displaying vulnerability on top of her usual wry humor. When she meets a Frenchman (Melvil Poupaud) and later travels to Paris to find him again, the film loses a little bit of its traction, then settles for a conventional story line, something I'd normally go for, but here it was a little bit of a letdown. A nice little film though, and as a bonus, look for Gena Rowlands and Peter Bogdanovich in small roles.

Broken

[peckham-angela · 4/10 · 15 January 2012]

What's broken in this film is the part where there are two believable characters who do something interesting together. This film has trouble with both likability and credibility, perhaps because they seemingly stole their plot from the bowels of a fortune cookie. On the one hand, we're looking for love in all the wrong places. On the other hand, we're loving ourselves in order to be loved. And these tired little anecdotes... just ugh. For her part, the director compounds these weaknesses by not understanding how to flesh out a character. She stereotypes the mother. She mishandles the circumstances of romance. She cuts moments that would have helped with character motivation (see deleted scenes); instead, wasting time on a series of lousy, boring dates that fly from one farce of a scene to the next. Parker Posey's character is the only one that isn't totally flubbed by hastiness. The film takes care in describing the anxieties that can impound a state of 30-something loneliness. The rhythms of being single are incisive, and underscored by a range of thoughtful, sympathetic details. But again, this isn't a vignette or portraiture; it's a full- length feature film that lacks the sophistication to be romantic.