FreddyShoop

It's not bad, but not nearly as good as all the critics think. It is actually an ad campaign for Tokyo toilets that turned into a movie. It's basically "Zen and the art of toilet maintenance." There isn't any character development. It's a "slice of life" type movie. It's kind of a romanticized parable about being happy in your work, no matter what it is...and trying to squeeze whatever you can out of each day. Of course, they never really show the awful, difficult, or tedious parts of being a toilet cleaner. They rarely do with stories about manual labor. It got a bit tedious, but they cheat and use some really good music to good effect. The lead did a pretty good job, especially at the end scene.

I love Still Game. It's almost like Cheers for Scotland. Lots of funny, oddball characters you get to like. Jack and Victor often bring some humanity and common sense to the action. But, like most situation comedies, something happens and comedy ensues. But, I never questioned Jack and Victor's goodness or character...UNTIL NOW!

In a massive writing blunder, this episode turns Jack and Victor into a couple of idiotic, "big city", jerks! Who thought it was a good idea to have our loveable protagonists constantly looking down on and insulting the locals of a wee island who did nothing wrong....but live on a wee island.

I've see all of the Still Game episodes, specials, and stage stuff, and this ranks right up there with the worst.

I'm a big Woody Allen fan. I look forward to Woody Allen movies, and he's one of the few directors I'll actually look up to anxiously see when his next movie is coming out. But, there seem to be far more mediocre (or worse) movies in his later years (AFTER Midnight in Paris, of course).

Anyway, this French movie is largely a miss for me. The protagonist is an unlikeable, spoiled, Barbie Doll whose blank-face performance is plastic and inert (although she gets slightly better later in the film). Maybe I'm not "in tune" with the French penchant for infidelity. But, the married Barbie protagonist being so open to obvious sexual come-ons from the first scene made her unlikeable from the start. I would think at minimum you'd need to establish BEFOREHAND her motivation for being so open to cheating on her husband.

The far more interesting and dynamic character is the husband, although like all the characters he is just a "type" rather than fully fleshed out. But the actor is more up to the challenge. He has an intensity and menace that is at least interesting.

The cinematography is its usual high quality...if not as remarkable as Midnight in Paris. It's mildly amusing how the cool color palette and sharp design of the husband's scenes contrast with the warm, vibrant color palette of the "lovers" scenes. And, Woody always uses quality jazz music to good effect.

The story, like many of Woody's stories, has plot holes and contrivances, because he's not one to let details get in the way of his light-hearted fun, wit and jokes. But, given the lack of the regular dose of wit and jokes, it makes these flaws seem bigger and more noticeable. The unearned "Nancy Drew discovery" at the farcical end was completely meaningless. Unlike the far, far, superior Match Point, the theme of "chance" is notional at best.

To cleanse my palate of this "off" movie, perhaps I'll open a nice French wine and re-watch Woody's excellent Midnight in Paris.