In the film, Roxeanne is the humble American wife who takes care of her daughter and is pregnant, but when her husband leaves her on the eve of her sister Isabelle’s arrival, she finds she must struggle to pay for her apartment and daughters ballet lessons. Isabelle is quickly comfortable in the French culture but stands by Roxeanne, but when a painting they’ve inherited suddenly is caught between a rival family, they have to fight to take it home and received the money that’s rightfully theirs. “Le Divorce” is a study, a study of American values about love, life, marriage, divorce and the role of woman versus French values about the exact same topics. It’s a sort of America vs. France allegory set through a struggle between two families, a notion that is especially exercised in the scene in which Hudson, Watts and Thomas Lennon’s characters meet with the appraiser for dinner, and they all begin sparring with him in their knowledge of wines, cuisines, and just wit in general.
Tag Archives: Drama
Masked and Anonymous (2003)
This pointless, droning, pretentious, pompous, and incredibly self-indulgent piece of philosophical dribble is that rare indie film that makes me say “Oh, that’s why it was never widely distributed”. Being released in only 17 theatres, the writer and director for this film do a really ingenious thing, throughout the film. There are about fifty cameos from some really good actors. It not only gives the audience something to look at, but when surrounded around people who can really act, the producers attempt to make us forget how much of a one note simply awful actor Bob Dylan is. I mean he’s Bob Dylan, this man is like a bad-ass in my eyes with some incredible music, but come on, did he really need to do this film?
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Gurinder Chadha tells the tale of Jess (played by the beautiful Parminder Nagra), the youngest in a traditional Hindu family who still follows the ritual of arranged marriages, and ceremonial garbs, but loves to play futbol. She plays it with an all boys team against her parents wishes. She is recruited one day by Jules, a professional futbol player who asks Jess to play for her professional team in which they’ll be coached by the potential love interest for the two and maybe Jess and Jules will be recruited into the American futbol team, but not if her mother and father have anything to say about it.
Seabiscuit (2003)
This depression-era tale and celebration of Americana, based on true events is a marvel to watch that doesn’t totally grab you from the get go, but it surely is worth watching. Directed and adapted by Gary Ross and based on the true tale of the undersized horse who lifted a nation’s spirits and brought America to its toes with its speed as the underdog, “SeaBiscuit” becomes a tale about beating the odds, the triumph of competition, and how one small animal can bring a nation together to forget its miseries. This is not a movie about a horse, no it is not, it is a tale about a horse and the three broken people who were brought together by the drive to compete.
Thirteen (2002)
“Thirteen” is the example of creative filmmaking with a great story behind it, and it’s a film that managed to spark a lot of controversy in 2003, but within the controversy, it also sparked a lot of conversation between parents and children, specifically parents and their daughters and prompted parents to take a second look at their children and question their activities a little more thoroughly, which is truly a good thing. It’s not often a good film brings positivity to the world that is actually genuine. These days either a positive film brings about negative reaction or a positive film tries too hard and never gets its point across because it’s mired in cheesiness and self-indulgence.
Ripley's Game (2002)
Acclaimed actor John Malkovich takes on the role this time of Tom Ripley, the chameleon whom now lives in a mansion in Italy with his beautiful wife and lush aristocratic lifestyle. An old acquaintance from the past returns to his life, and asks that he help him knock off enemies. Ripley wants no part of it, but he does have someone in mind who will, with the right persuasion. Ripley is one of the main characters of this story, someone whom we follow throughout the story. He’s a sick, demented character through his humble facade. Ripley twists and turns everything for his own benefit.
Confidence (2003)
“It’s all confidence,” main character Jake Vig declares (Ed Burns), a slick and charming conman who leads an assembled group of conmen into some of the most brilliant cons. Taking a page right out of the classic “The Sting”, a group of professional conmen pull a fast job on a schmuck at a club, but when they discover that the schmuck they duped was about to deliver his money to mob boss Winston King, one of their men is killed and now they must confront King. King, a rather erratic but threatening boss makes a deal with them: if they pull a job on his rival Morgan Price he’ll give them a cut of the money and let them live, now with many uneasy partnerships with a few new conmen, a difficulties with an investigator who is on their tail, they must pull the con and not get arrested. But who is getting conned? And who can be trusted?