English title: Read my lips
Genre: drama/suspense
Director: Jacques Audiard
Release: 2002
Studio: Sedif et al. - Magnolia Pictures
Rating: R
MBiS score: 6.6/10
When Baby Lets her Hair Down
Some people, it seems, are born unlucky. Aside from being partially deaf, Carla Behm (Emmanuelle Devos) works slavishly for a big real estate firm and is routinely mocked for her shyness and lack of beauty. When one of her bosses finally notices her exhaustion, he suggests hiring a helper. As fate has it, she will be offered an ex-con named Paul Angeli (Vincent Cassel). Frankly, Paul is a nuisance but our girl Friday will soon realize that she needs him as much as he needs her.
It’s easy to see why this drama has been well received by fans and critics alike. With its snappy dialogues, breathless narrative, good acting and attractive visuals, it does feel impressive… but all that flash hides some serious faults. Call me a nitpicker if you will, but I was appalled by the script, so enticing at first but so implausible and gimmicky in its development. Warning - spoilers ahead! Clearly, the writers’ intention here was to spin an entertaining yarn… and if Carla’s character went against it, they were ready to twist her irreparably to deliver the thrills. I simply couldn’t accept her sudden transformation from a pathetic pushover to a cunning, smoking, drinking, lying and hard-loving broad. Why would she want so badly to move up at the firm while knowing about its shady dealings? And how about that curious plot twist involving Paul’s parole officer that resolves itself at the very end with a jaw-dropping deus ex machina (without any knowledge of Carla’s handicap, the guy mouthes his motives in her direction as she lip-reads from a passing car)? To top it all off, Carla will discover that Paul was about to double-cross her but loves him all the same. Flying leaps of logic!
As a movie fan, I feel hurt when a promising movie disintegrates before my very eyes and I certainly don’t want you to suffer as I did. So spare yourself a couple of hours and avoid this one… unless you want proof that love can be blind even for the hearing impaired. Too bad.
MBiS
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