Until September

This movie isn't terrible, really. Somebody commented that Mo is the type of American Europeans snicker at. But there are those, and not necessarily Anglo-Saxon yahoos, who do not care for Frenchmen; and the Xavier character isn't going to sway them.

Let's consider his stereotypical Frenchman attributes:

1). Cynical - very cynical. Check.

2). Reedy, underfed appearance, check, despite:

3). A great appreciation of cuisine. Check.

4). Lukewarm work ethic. Check. (Forget the fact he is supposedly a rich stockbroker, from watching him in the film he seems to put in ten hour workweeks.)

5). Beautiful wife, check. Despite that:

6). Loose interpretation of the marriage vows. Check.

7). Big sexual ego, which says an American girl owes you sex if you buy her dinner. Check.

Whether Mo is a hick or not, there's no reason for her to fall for this smug European twit other than the script dictates so.

On the other hand, as other male reviewers have, I did enjoy seeing Karen Allen's cute, petite body. I'll give the movie four stars; two of them are for that.

True, the setting in Paris is great. The actors are fine. The story is a twisted morality play. Is it supposed to say that if you want someone badly enough, it's OK to hurt everyone else along the way? In a real romance, you sort of want less cliché than the man who has become bored with his wife and is willing to dump his family, and the woman who is OK with encouraging him to do this. So what if they are decent looking and if Karen Allen shows off her body? The characters are still self-absorbed and reprehensible. Maybe the moral of the story is "you get what you deserve". I give it a 4, only for the fast scan potential through the "male interest" bits.

Karen Allen should have been a star. This film is proof. She handles an incredible range of material and emotions, from light soap opera to deeply passionate scenes. She also displays that beautiful body in some exquisite fully nude scenes (happy sigh).

A Harlequin Romance type of movie about an American horticulturist marooned in Paris who encounters a married man when the group she is traveling with departs for other countries with her visa. Endlessly contrived situations that break up/make up the relationship between them - however, the charm and acting skill of both leads, Karen Allen and Thierry Lhermitte, together with countless nude scenes, succeeds in overcoming the deficiencies in the script. What the movie is missing most of all is a forceful subplot, which would have added a greater degree of complication and reasons for breaking up and making up. Both leads act well. Hard to understand why Karen Allen never became a bigger star. And interesting to see Thierry Lhermitte, sleek and groomed, in a romantic role instead of the comedic roles he usually plays. And of course there is Paris - which never looked lovelier, more sophisticated and charming. (What time does the next plane leave?) Not a great movie but enjoyable to watch on a rainy afternoon.

I've loved this movie for years. It automatically swept me off my feet. What a lovely thought...to jet off to France and meet your own Frenchman (smile). I loved the quality/photography. I't just a perfect love story on all counts. I can't believe it's now 22 years old(now being 2006). I tried to buy this movie a few years ago, but was told then that it was very expensive at the time, and rare. Good things come in time, and it's now available on DVD. I'm for one, very happy. This fine gentleman (Thierry Lhermitte) is a very good actor, as well as the ever talented Karen Allen. I plan to order a copy of the DVD and add it to my love story collection. If you haven't seen this one...you should.