Undescribable Perfection

Good concept, poorly executed.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

French film "The Girl from Monaco" begins on a promising note with renowned actor Fabrice Luchini flirting with an older woman. He is unaware of the fact that this innocuous action is being watched in detail by a bodyguard whose services have been provided to him without his knowledge. This is just the commencement of a series of zany adventures involving unusual people namely a fun loving lawyer, a dedicated bodyguard and a promiscuous yet charmingly nubile weather woman. Although the title mentions the word 'Monaco' there is not much description of Monaco and its casinos. The film runs at a normal pace but gains momentum within second half when innocence is replaced by cunning. It is at that point some surprising elements are introduced to make the film appear interesting. Director Anne Fontaine has made quirky films in the past but 'The Girl From Monaco' is completely different from all her films. It tries hard to be a serious film but remains a comedy in essence. It is a film which one can watch with friends in order to have some good moments of entertainment.

Alas, my Summary isn't going to work completely in either French or English: The French pronounce Ann Fontaine's surname Fontenay which means they're unlikely to get the Trevi word-play but on the other hand coin is French for corner so a by-lingual person will twig that I'm referring to the three corners Fontaine brings together here, not so much doctor, lawyer, Indian chief as lawyer, weather girl and bodyguard. Billy Wilder has a lot to answer for on several counts but not least for his masterpiece (or one of them) The Apartment which is a laugh-out-loud comedy for the first hour then switches effortlessly to drama and because it was Wilder he made it look so easy that everybody and his uncle Max thinks he can do it too. Ann Fontaine isn't everybody; with twelve complete films under her belt and a thirteenth in the Cutting Rooms she's a formidable talent, one of an elite group of female French directors who have given me personally hours of pleasure - I'm referring to, in any order you like, Marion Vernoux, Nicole Garcia, Valerie Lemercier, Toni Marshall, Danielle Thompson, Agnes Jaoui, Noemie Chomsky, Diane Kurys et al. If this isn't quite top-drawer Fontaine it'll do until another top-drawer Fontaine comes along. Fabrice Luchini, that most quirky of French actors both on stage and screen (and rumored to be engaged to Fontaine, who may herself still be married or may not have been married as the case may be - and you think THIS film is ambiguous) is at the head of proceedings as a top avocat shipped to Monaco to defend the mother of a gangster (Stephane Audran wasted) on a charge of murdering a gigolo; because of the delicate nature of the case the gangster supplies Luchini with a bodyguard who may or may not develop a sexual attraction to Luchini; the third element is a local weather girl with a moral compass that makes Sadie Thompson look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Inevitably the up-tight lawyer allows himself to be seduced by the bimbo half his age and equally inevitably it ends in tears. Though I enjoyed it, as I have all the Fontaine films I have seen I wouldn't in this case (unlike the others) want to see it again.

With a title like "The Girl from Monaco", a picture of a bodacious babe on the cover, and a description about a neurotic lawyer defending a gangster's mother charged with the murder of a gigolo, I figured this would be a crazy comedy... something between "Legally Blonde" and "My Cousin Vinny" but in French. Boy was I wrong.Certain filmgoers react negatively when they don't get what they expect. Me, I don't care as long as it's good. And this movie is definitely good. It begins with enough light-hearted comedy to draw you in at the opening scene. Other good laughs are peppered throughout the first half. But you soon realize that it's all a clever candy-coating, masking a dark, winding story beneath. In that respect, I'd compare it to "Art School Confidential" (2006) or "Jeux d'enfants" (2003) or even "Good Morning Vietnam" (1987) which begin as comedies but soon trick us down a different path.If you go into this film with zero expectations, or better yet, expecting to be led to an unknown destination, I can't imagine you not liking this film. The acting is top notch, creating believable characters who are instantly likable despite their personality quirks. Even the Girl, who is basically a slut of the highest magnitude, comes across as cute, charming and breezy. It's hard not to see elements of the legendary Brigitte Bardot in her unapologetic sexuality.And that's what this movie is really about: expression vs repression, openness vs modesty, freedom vs self-control. And we see the crazy results of people attempting to bridge between the two worlds. This movie is every bit as compelling as the Bardot films that first explored these sexually-charged themes almost 50 years ago. We see that they're still topical today.A quick note about content... Even though this is a very sexual story, it's not too explicit, and I think there's only 1 brief nude scene (the girl topless in bed). Most of the steamy stuff is implied through dialogue.Watch this back-to-back with the Bardot classics "And God Created Woman", "Night Heaven Fell", "Love is My Profession", and so on. Maybe you'll agree it's been a while since a director has been able to capture that same spirit. This movie is so much more than a comedy. Soooo much more.

this is a lightweight comedy that is implausible on many fronts. The lawyer is successful, but way too old for the girl, so it's not clear why she is interested in him. The lawyer is taken in by her (she's stunning), but he throws all caution to the wind and does many things that are out of character, really stupid things. The movie is lightly entertaining with the comedic elements, and with the amazing looks of the girl, who flaunts her body and looks in every scene she's in.SPOILER: Then the movie decides to get serious and it lost me completely. the two men in the film can't resist her, but they both think she's dangerous - "a witch". I won't tell you what happens, but you could easily see this film as a caution against female sexual freedom with the two men punishing her in the end. When it gets away from the comedy, it's a mess.