Broken English

This film is a shallow treatise on the problems of locating love for a young woman in the city. The main character is self-centered, and yet seems to have no real interests. She is desperately looking for someone to love her in order to save her from herself. She is not really interested in other people, only in their ability to "love" her, even if they are assholes and total strangers. The movie takes the position that her attitude is normal, and in doing so misses an opportunity to be interesting. The movie fails to make an assessment about the existential problems of the character, or to question her myopic vision and lack of center and dignity. The film, like its characters, is a surface without a center, and ends up being mainstream, shallow, hollow, and sentimental. It's no wonder that's it's safe for audiences today, for it reinforces the popular idea that women are dependent on men for their happiness and to fill a hole or void. The film is indeed a fairy tale, for a woman who behaves like a depressed, mopey, self-hating dishrag all of the time would be very lucky to find a man to love her.

Zoe Cassavetes' "Broken English" is a comedy/drama about an attractive young woman who, through her neuroticism and emotional insecurities, keeps sabotaging her own happiness. Even though she works as a manager and troubleshooter at a trendy Manhattan hotel, Nora Wilder doesn't lead what one would call a particularly fulfilling life. Unable to make a lasting connection with any of the men she meets, Nora finds herself drifting from one meaningless encounter to another, a situation that only exacerbates her already deep-rooted fears and vulnerabilities.

In its structure, "Broken English" has a freeform looseness that keeps it from feeling over-plotted and contrived. And while there are times when the movie seems to be serving up pretty much the same scene over and over again, Posey's winsomeness and charm make us care about the character. In fact, without her, the movie would be considerably less compelling than it is. She manages to make a likable figure out of a character who might otherwise be seen as excessively whiny and self-pitying. And even though the mood of the film is generally light and playfully ironic, there is some genuine pain in the story as well, as Nora struggles with the very real issues of loneliness, panic attacks and depression.

The actress receives impressive support from Drea de Matteo ("The Sopranos"), Peter Bogdanovich, Gena Rowlands, Justin Theroux and Melvil Poupaud, but the movie is Posey's all the way.

One of my most anticipated films of the year turns out to be a bit of a typical rom-dram snoozer. Despite a stellar cast, Zoe Cassavettes' first film is a bit of a misfire. It seems she was going for an old-school type of romance film with a modern (yet unoriginal) twist, but I watched this thinking "If I wanted to watch an old-fashioned romantic drama, I'd rather just watch a movie from the 40s." Not to compare this to the breakthrough film of that-other-daughter-of-a-famous-director, but this totally has a "Lost in Translation" vibe going on. Except it isn't nearly as engrossing or well-made. The movie's best feature is, of course, Parker Posey. I do give credit to Cassavettes for taking a chance to show something that not many other directors have been willing to do--that Posey is a brilliant dramatic actress. Sure, she's a brilliant comedienne and this is what she's known for, but one look at "Broken English" or "Personal Velocity will" prove that this woman is every bit as good as your Streeps or your Hepburns. She just needs better roles! Justin Theroux is excellent, though only in the film for 15 minutes or so. I do fear he's getting typecast as the cocky yuppie or Hollywood type. So this one isn't a total waste of time, but I'd say it's for fans of the cast only.

BROKEN English reminded me of the magic of BEFORE SUNRISE/BEFORE SUNSET in a Parker Posey "Tour De Force" with a performance that captures the vulnerabilities that all of us have in ever finding love. The film is a delight to watch, but in Ms. Posey, one of America's best actors, the story rings true in today's world of "work, work, work" and if you play, "God, I hope I find someone worthwhile!"

I loved this film on so many levels-fabulous cast, writing and of course, location-New York and Paris, are just two incredible cities that you want to find romance with someone very special. Melvil Poupaud was an exceptional discovery and his French charm worked so well on the screen. Vive La France! I salute Zoe Cassavetes who has directed and written a story that brought me back to remembering the beauty of watching Ethan Hawke and the glorious Julie Delpy romp and play in both Vienna and Paris with characters you wanted to stay with, and hope they would be together forever.

In BROKEN English, I would love to see another story from Paris on how Nora really found love and happiness. Merci beau coup, ZoeCassevetes.

I was interested in this film due to the mostly positive reviews, a story line that interested me, and having the opportunity to see Parker Posey, who for some reason has an intensely strong cult following, but is unable (or maybe doesn't want) to get to that next level of Hollywood movie stardom.

But then I started reading some pretty negative reviews from some of the people commenting here on IMDb, so it tempered my expectations. And maybe that was a good thing. I really liked this film more than I thought I would. It seemed real, understated, and "soulful," as Zoe Cassavetes likes to say about her film. It actually reminded me a lot of the movie, "'Til There Was You," where we see another seemingly desirable and attractive woman unable to find love, and clueless as to why that is the case.

Parker Posey's pain and anguish in some of her scenes was like watching a raw, exposed nerve. Great script and excellent direction by Zoe Cassavetes. I look forward to seeing what she (Cassavetes) chooses to do next.