Thirty-Five Something (2005)

Excellent, smart action film.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Tout pour plaire, or 35 Something as it is called abroad, is a thoroughly enjoyable flick for grrlz. It has no pretensions of being Palme d'Or material, but neither is the majority of films made in the world. This film aims merely to entertain the audience with the trials and tribulations of a trio of upper middle class Parisian women, friends since childhood. One, is the eternal bachelorette who chases men away with her scathing sarcasm, the second unhappily married and unappreciated at work and the third in a loving marriage with a good for nothing painter as husband.The film follows the girls through a difficult time in their lives. The first has been dumped by her insecure boyfriend, the second discovers her husband is cheating and the third contemplates cheating herself with a man who is more energetic and ambitious than her lazy husband.All's well that ends well. If you do not have too high expectations of this film, it will keep you pleasantly entertained for an hour and a half.

Three women at late thirties comment their relationship with men, and try to explain why are they so bad. All have their problems, but lack of love is the worse, so they will have to do a great job to solve this. Well, the movie is boring, the story is stupid and none of the actress are good. In addition, they ask themselves why their relationship with men are so bad, when they are absolutely paranoid, hysteric and its impossible to deal with them. If they were not so miserable, men would come to them (as happens at the end, when they start to act as a normal person, not mental). It is supposed to be a comedy, but actually, I have smiled in all the film indeed (well, maybe when it ended, as it was done). It is just a very bad movie, there are many better ones.

Don't go see this if you don't have a sense of humour or if you're an obstinate chauvinist or if you don't understand French. This movie likes to turn things around, it's a breeze as well as some sort of a hurricane on bad times, habits, things you do just because you're used to do them or because that's the way things are done here.Now, if you feel like having your mind blown open, or if you feel a bit down and need A Good Laughter or two or three... what are you waiting for? Judith is as glamorous as ever, Anne is as beautiful as usual and Mathilde is as dry and witty and sometimes mean as necessary. I promise you won't feel down or depressed when you leave your seat :-)Ahem! Now, if you're 40-ish, still single, again single, possibly getting bald... well, don't take it too personal ;-)A Good Time (tm)

This is another of those extra-light souffles the French turn out so effortlessly and which, like Domestic champagne, slip down easily on their own turf but seldom travel well. There's absolutely no reason why distributors would want to import this, none of the three leading actresses have much of, if any at all, a following outside France despite boasting three very respectable CVs. This is yet another take on our old fried the mid-life crisis as it applies to three thirty-something girls who have been friends since childhood, doctor, Judith Godreche, lawyer Mathilde Seigner and Indian chief Anne Parilllaud. Not a lot happens, they go shopping, go drinking, indulge in girl talk, have affairs or not as the case may be but they do it with panache, it's pleasant to watch and entirely forgettable. 6 stars.