Chrysanthepop

Eugenio Mira's 'Grand Piano' attempts to be 'experimental' and somewhat 'different' but that alone does not guarantee a good film. Besides, it really isn't that different from your typical thriller except that here the lead, an accomplished pianist, is being threatened through a mobile phone while he's playing the piano. It does remind one of films like 'Phone Booth' and such. The air of tension is maintained in the first quarter of an hour after Tom starts playing the piano before turning into one ridiculous Hollywood cliché after another. The only appealing thing about 'Grand Piano' is the score. Elijah Wood delivers a poor performance while Kerry Bishé is quite adequate. John Cusack is quite awful. Just when I thought he was back on track with 'The Paperboy' after a string of abysmal movies, he slips with this. One would be better off listening to the soundtrack than wasting time on this.

Given the premise (deduced from the trailer) and the title I was thinking of skipping 'The Big Wedding' but it's got Hollywood's finest actors like Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton and Robert de Niro. Surely, the film is at least worth a watch for their performance, right? Well, a more appropriate title for the movie would have been 'The Big Disaster In the Name of a Movie'. Yes, it's messy, silly and...not funny. 'the Big Wedding' was sold as a romantic comedy wedding flick but the 'jokes' appear forced, desperate and lack originality. Moreover it pokes fun at Catholics, free spirited people and divorced couples. The aforementioned talented actors are wasted which is a real shame. The younger cast's performance ranges from average to poor. The set and outdoor sceneries provide some nice eye-candy. Loaded with clichés, pretending to be funny and wasting talents, this expensive film is kind of...well, trash.

Djamel Bensalah's story isn't anything original but the film is easy to relate to despite all the clichés and stereotypes. Perhaps the key reason is the characterization of the lead character Sami who is superbly played by Samy Seghir. Samy's sudden 'culture' shock from the underdeveloped crime-ridden French suburb to the riches of Neuilly and his struggles to keep up are portrayed effectively. Moreover, Seghir's performance is natural unlike a majority of the child actors seen on screen.

Certain subplots remain underdeveloped even though the director and writer do try to tie it all up in the end. The comedy does feel forced at times, even feeling completely out of place but there is enough here to keep one entertained. The supporting cast performs adequately.

'Neuilly sa mère!' isn't among the finest of its kind but it has enough bright moments to be watchable with the family.