Beloved (2011)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Very rarely are movies made about unrequited (one-sided) love and love lost, let alone musicals. It's good and somewhat interesting; though it tests your patience a lot. With the terrific star-cast it has, I expected a lot more. It falls short of a definite and good plot, and it lacks heart.Catherine Deneuve is not even utilized properly. Ludivine Sagnier is charming; it's amazing how much she has grown up since Ozon's 'Swimming Pool'. And it was delightful to see Paul Schneider in this French musical. The remaining cast just does their job, which is not much.Even though it's a musical, the songs are quite average. The only song I actually loved is 'Ici Londres (Heaven Knows)', sung by Chiara Mastroianni and Paul Schneider.

I made the mistake of thinking the Sundance channel was showing the excruciating Oprah Winfrey "Beloved" one night and missed this movie as a result. So I had to wait until I could see it on DVD. All I can say is: I simply love Christophe Honore movies (: Is it that he has a gay sensibility? Is it that I love Alex Beaupain's songs? "Love Songs" is one of my all-time favorite films as well, and for many of the same reasons.The actors in this movie are all simply superb. If I single out Milos Forman it's only because I was so surprised by his acting choices. But the trio of female stars are all wonderful, fresh and amazing. Louis Garrel and the polish actor who plays the younger Jaromil are terrific too. Paul Schneider is an actor I hope to see again in other things.I found the film exciting, not boring; the camera-work, the editing, the pacing, the music, the colors, even the length of the movie (2 hrs., 19 minutes) exhilarating! This is the kind of film that you have to surrender and allow yourself to be "inside" the movie during it's running time, without reservation.This is a movie for people who love french cinema, as I do - it's my favorite country, without exception, for movies these days.

The problem with this film is Christophe Honoré. A 2 and ½ hour film about self-indulgent people explaining why they are unhappy at being self-indulgent. It could have been done one hour shorter. The half musical score is a feeble attempt to be the the Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Trying to be French new wave cool instead of being good. I'm convinced Christophe would have tried to make a musical out of Cloud Atlas. I love the cast but after 2 and ½ hours I was wishing they would take an overdose and end my suffering and theirs. Catherine Deneuve, always beautiful and her daughter in film and real life, Chiara Mastroianni, convincing as a seductress, but they were the only high points in the film for me. I rate this film a good sleep aide..

This review can't possibly contain plot spoilers as there was no plot.Acting was average at best. Singing was just awful. I didn't even know it was a musical (term used loosely here) until someone started 'singing'.The storyline was largely incoherent and when it was coherent it was criminally bad. We, along with virtually everyone else, left the cinema before it finished so I don't know how it ended but I can guarantee that it was terrible unless the final scene was Ashton Kutcher revealing that we had all been Punk'd. All in all it was very disappointing, if slightly unintentionally hilarious, and a poor representation of the French film industry