Broken English
Broken English
| 22 November 2007 (USA)
Broken English Trailers

Nora Wilder is freaking out. Everyone around her is either in a relationship, married, or has children. Nora is in her thirties, alone with job she's outgrown and a mother who constantly reminds her of it all. Not to mention her best friend Audrey's "perfect marriage". But after a series of disastrous dates, Nora unexpectedly meets Julien, a quirky Frenchman who opens her eyes to a lot more than love.

Reviews
Protraph

Lack of good storyline.

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Marketic

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

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Teddie Blake

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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Lucia Ayala

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

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piry12

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.

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bela_bombastic

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.

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fwomp

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.

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kelliejoan

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.

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