I'm Staying (2003)

Good idea lost in the noise

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Sophie Marceau must have really needed the money to end her month to perform in such a pitiful movie. This film which pretends to be funny is exactly the opposite. The settings: A wife at home who doesn't know how to spend her time, a husband who travels abroad to build a bridge while having an affair with his lover.How can we watch this film which lasts something like 1 hour 1/2? After 20 minutes, nothing happens except the Madam Marceau's promenade in her very visible car (certainly sponsored).The actors act as if they had been forced to do so. Vincent Perrez performs like a débutant and Sophie Marceau wonders what she is doing in "cette galère".

No jokes, no sex, ( S. Marceau did'nt even show a boob... ) no drugs,well, don't expect anything from this rubbish.

I'm no great fan of Sophie Marceau but I thought I'd go and see this anyway for a laugh. She herself was quite good surprisingly, less of a brat and stuck-up than in certain previous films.Picture quality of the film fairly sharp but colours washed-out and awful - incredibly bad for 2003 ! The story itself gets off to a good start with some funny moments. Vincent Perez as the obnoxious and self-centred husband working for an international construction firm, having affairs, hell-bent on cycling and Jacques Brel and in the process thoroughly neglecting his wife, puts in a convincing performance and Marceau as his devoted wife as well. Enter Charles Berling who becomes Marceau's "lover" ( the word is perhaps a little strong ) ... and then the whole thing falls apart. It's as if, having found a good idea for the story, the scriptwriter wasn't really convinced of the best way to finish the whole thing off. The lover becomes the husband's best friend and even gets attracted to some of the activities of the husband - those same activities ( eg cycling ) which initially caused Marceau to get fed up with her husband and turn elsewhere !!All this is a bit of a shame as the film "démarre sur des chapeaux de roues" ( gets off to a flying start) but then seems to fumble when it's a question of tying the plot up in the latter half. Apart from this, it's quite pleasant to watch, there's a lot of music by Jacques Brel, and cycling views. But I find it below the level of French Comedy Movies from the sixties, seventies and early eighties ( Coluche et Cie !). It has just come out this week in France and I can't yet make up my mind whether it will have international success ....... I remain a little dubious and will later consult other comments on the data base.