The Log

Only a French director would begin a Christmas movie with a funeral.

This film, with its American Christmas song sound-track, is difficult to describe. It requires intense concentration to remember who is married to whom, who is related to whom, who has had an affair with whom, etc. (In fact, I am glad my wife and I saw this movie on VHS--we could stop it every so often and say, "Now which husband/daughter/lover/ wife is that?")

The good news is that there is some outstanding acting by skilled French actors--Sabine Azéma, Emmanuelle Béart, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Claude Rich, and especially Françoise Fabian.

The biggest problem I had with this film--other than sorting out the various pairings-- was that not one couple had a simple, loving, faithful relationship. Surely--even in France--a family would contain two people who love each other, are married, and do not cheat.

If you accept adultery as a part of everyone's life, this movie makes sense. If you don't accept this, the plot grows tedious.

This film is worth seeing for the acting, but not worth a special effort or special trip.

P.S. Surprisingly, the director has chosen to play down the appearance of Emmanuelle Béart. In most films, she is obviously incredibly beautiful. In this ensemble film, Béart is portrayed as attractive, but no more so than the other actors. Whether this concept is a good one or a bad one will depend on your point of view.

I was just reading other comments made about this movie, and they were so negative that made me want to try and say a couple of words to say that the movie is great, entertaining, interesting, funny, original. A perfect plot, mastered with capacity and played at perfection. If you want to see a movie that shows how the magic of life beats the magic of christmas, go to see the movie, and be ready to face entangled plots of lives humoristically interwined.

Tender, real, funny memorable, are words that describe this film to me. The first time I saw it, it was only the end of it, but that was enough to let me know this will be a favorite. Maybe I am not such an expert, but it has the elements a film must have to be in my memory.

Saw "La Buche" last night. It's somewhat dull but pleasant and well-acted throughout. I enjoy the French tendency to feature artists and philosophically inclined persons as cinematic main characters (while we Americans get cops and the pugilistically inclined), and "La Buche" rewards on that level: the characters are lovely, intelligent, articulate and well dressed.

Underneath the surface trappings, however, the movie doesn't have much to say. It's a tribute to emotional cowardice dolled up as a celebration of familial devotion - all in the guise of a Christmas movie. Which would be genuinely funny if "La Buche" were at all cynical about its own motives. As far as I could tell, it isn't. I gather that we're supposed to buy bad decision-making redeemed by absurd coincidence as evidence that true love will out in the end.

P.S. I am beyond tired of the suggestion in French films that infidelity is the one true badge of masculine identity. Didn't this idea become boring in, oh, like, 1965?

How many times do I still have to read the words "French cinema at its worst" ? Reviewers please try to be a bit more imaginative.

And if you cannot, wouldn't it be wiser to avoid commenting such movies ? At least leave this one alone which has strongly developed characters and features Sabine Azema and Charlotte Gainsbourg, actresses who are in actual fact able to make their women look real like few others. And shows Emmanuelle Beart, who most of the times is a bonus 'per se' and here appears in two quick back-to-back scenes which can only be described as jaw-dropping. Anyway: advise to whoever still despises the <<French>> after watching this film : please compare it with dysfunctional family features like 'Parenthood' 'Home For The Holidays' 'The Myth Of Fingerprints' 'The House of Yes' 'One True Thing' 'The Weekend' 'Sebastian Cole' 'No Looking Back' etc (find out any which one you missed if you care). And good luck ....