Nez rouge

A literary critic with the meanest pen in town is sentenced for drunk driving to community service over the Christmas holidays at the "Nez Rouge" service, which provides lifts to people who have had too much to drink. He is partnered with an aspiring writer who hates him for having utterly destroyed her first work years earlier. Naturally he falls in love with her, then they fight, then she realizes she loves him too.

As far as romantic comedies go (a genre that Québec cinema doesn't explore much), this one was pretty good. If follows the conventions and the general plot structure of the genre quite faithfully (if I hadn't liked the film I would have just said "it's full of clichés"), but I thoroughly enjoyed it, had many good laughs and left with a smile in my face. Sometimes that's enough.

I guess this is the kind of movie that you go see when you're away from home. I was visiting family, during the holidays. So maybe I was in the mood for this kind of low-budget romantic comedy. Because, frankly, it's not that good. You don't laugh like you're suppose to do with this kind of movie. The actors are not bad though. I like Patrick Huard's funny face and Pierre Lebeau's antics. The movie is base on the RIDE program: drivers volunteering to get people who have a few drinks during the holidays get home safe. Overall: not recommended.

Out of 100, I gave it 62. That's good for *½ out of **** stars. Seen in Hearst (Ontario), at the Cinéma Cartier, on December 23rd, 2003.