Gemma Bovery

Didn't see that coming. I haven't expected it to be that much good. I thought that it would be boring. But not at all. And ending is interesting.

Ah, the English-French culture clash! Loved the sad-faced neighbour and his forever critical wife. And their dog Gus. And then the local Englishman who loves France for its cheese and wine (only?). And his gushy French wife. And the local Adonis' mother. These are all truly memorable comic characters. They are more interesting than the central couple, the Boverys. They make it well worth watching. The odd well-chosen Anglo-Saxon word or phrase (sometimes in French!) puts everyone in their place, including poor Gus! Nice soundtrack too.

Gemma Bovery is a movie based on Flaubert's Madame Bovary, but modernised and very meta as Gemma Bovery seems, according to the narrator, bound to follow the same path as the novel's central character. Starring Gemma Arterton as Gemma Bovery, it's easy to see why her neighbour, the village baker and the film's narrator, becomes completely besotted with her. She's radiant and effortlessly sexy from the moment we first encounter Gemma and her husband, played by Jason Flemyng, as they arrive at their new home in a small Normandy village. Soon, she is well acquainted by the locals, especially her neighbour, as played by Fabrice Luchini, who can't seem to think about much else other than this beautiful girl who seems to have come straight out of the pages of his favourite novel. With less assured direction and an actor without the affable qualities of Luchini, his gazes upon Gemma and longing monologues may seem quite creepy, but this is a romantic who acts more than ably as an audience surrogate for the events in this small hamlet. Gemma, like the Madame Bovary of the novel, succumbs to temptation and enters into an affair with a young man studying at his parents' house nearby, which causes much concern for her neighbour, who sees parallels between her and her fictional namesake. Which may not make for high drama, but I found this movie incredibly charming and easy to fall for, much like the gorgeous and talented Arterton who, in one particular scene, does for kneading bread what Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore done for pottery in Ghost. Arterton also plays her character just right, because this isn't a woman scorned or downtrodden. She knows her own mind and has depths that are slowly revealed. In the wrong hands she may have been quite unlikable, but here, despite her mistakes, she's always endearing. As is the bucolic plenty of the Parisian countryside. It's only in the movie's final moments that it plays a sour note that seems unnecessary, whilst an obscure ending shifts the tone just too far. But this is a bit of a treat and a genuine surprise.

Gemma Bovery (Gemma Arterton) and her older husband Charlie move from London to a small town in Normandy, France. Their new neighbor Martin Joubert (Fabrice Luchini) is the baker and a fan of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Martin is immediately enchanted by the lovely Gemma and her literary name. She gets restless and has an affair with a young man named Hervé de Bressigny. She is surprised by the return of her cheating former lover Patrick.

Gemma Arterton enchants this movie. She is the heart of this. Fabrice Luchini is compelling as an obsessive fan without being too creepy. I am not as enchanted with the ending. It is trying to be poetic but it feels too manufactured. I was looking for the rat poison but I would love any number of ways to go. It needs to be more substantive. It needs to be Gemma's action. I was looking for Gemma to raise the stakes with her relationships. The ending is not the greatest but the movie will always have Gemma.

I had one of the best time at this movie I had for a long time; so pleased after all these years I can handle both languages (unfortunately not audibly) Just the same I enjoyed so much to delve again in the 100 years war between these 2 culturally contrasting countries. But sexy Gemma was certainly a gem! As Luchini who then "said goodbye to his sexual tranquility" embarked in a wonderful human mission. Some one here said "neither very funny, nor dramatically successful" Who cares...certainly not me! If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, humour is also in the mind of the beholder. If I was a "rater" I my score would be higher than the average. There are many ways to embrace a movie, intellectually, emotionally, nitpicking ly. Once more...it was good for me!