Film Review: L'Auberge espagnole (2002)
In the early 2000s, the European Union was in better shape than it is today. With its enlargement and unification process looking unstoppable, the general perception was that the EU would bring peace, prosperity, and freedom to its member nations, while also providing the West with a "gentler and kinder" alternative to the United States as the leader and embodiment of Western values. This changing landscape was reflected in various forms of media, including films, and one of the most well-known examples is the 2003 Franco-Spanish comedy, L'Auberge espagnole.
The title, which literally means “Spanish inn”, refers to French phrase describing the same thing being seen differently by different people. The protagonist and narrator is Xavier (played by Romain Duris), 24-year old economics student from Paris, who is promised well-paid government job after graduation, but only under condition that he learns Spanish beforehand. Because of this Xavier becomes part of Erasmus, Union’s student exchange programme and travels to Barcelona. During the flight he meets Jean-Michelle (played by Xavier de Guillebon), French doctor, and his wife Anne-Sophie (played by Judith Godrèche), who briefly let him stay in their home. Xavier ultimately finds flat he would share with number of other exchange students from various European countries. Despite differences in language and culture, flatmates become friends and Xavier relies on this friendship to deal with issues in his love life.
Cedric Klapisch, the writer and director of L'Auberge espagnole, had a promising premise for his comedy, which was based on the clash of cultures, "fish out of water" situations, and ethnic stereotypes. However, the script fails to fully capitalise on this potential, as it discards the social, cultural, economic, and political context in favour of predictable romantic dilemmas. The humour, too, is often of poor quality, resulting in forgettable jokes that do little to engage the audience.
One of the major issues with the film is the casting of the protagonist, Romain Duris, who delivers a rather bland and forgettable performance. In contrast, the female cast is more interesting, with standout performances from Audrey Tautou as Xavier's girlfriend left in Paris, Judith Godrèche as the married woman with whom he falls in love, Cécile de France as his Belgian flatmate and lesbian mentor Isabelle, and Kelly Reilly as the fiery English flatmate Wendy.
Klapisch attempts to compensate for some of the deficiencies in his script with a "cool" and energetic MTV-style direction, occasionally using split-screen to comical effect. However, these segments are too few and far between to significantly improve the overall impression of the film.
Despite its shortcomings, L'auberge espagnole was well-received by critics and the European public alike. Klapisch continued the story of Xavier with two sequels, Russian Dolls in 2005 and Chinese Puzzle in 2013.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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In the early 2000s, the European Union was in better shape than it is today. With its enlargement and unification process looking unstoppable, the general perception was that the EU would bring peace, prosperity, and freedom to its member nations, while also providing the West with a "gentler and kinder" alternative to the United States as the leader and embodiment of Western values. This changing landscape was reflected in various forms of media, including films, and one of the most well-known examples is the 2003 Franco-Spanish comedy, L'Auberge espagnole.
The title, which literally means “Spanish inn”, refers to French phrase describing the same thing being seen differently by different people. The protagonist and narrator is Xavier (played by Romain Duris), 24-year old economics student from Paris, who is promised well-paid government job after graduation, but only under condition that he learns Spanish beforehand. Because of this Xavier becomes part of Erasmus, Union’s student exchange programme and travels to Barcelona. During the flight he meets Jean-Michelle (played by Xavier de Guillebon), French doctor, and his wife Anne-Sophie (played by Judith Godrèche), who briefly let him stay in their home. Xavier ultimately finds flat he would share with number of other exchange students from various European countries. Despite differences in language and culture, flatmates become friends and Xavier relies on this friendship to deal with issues in his love life.
Cedric Klapisch, the writer and director of L'Auberge espagnole, had a promising premise for his comedy, which was based on the clash of cultures, "fish out of water" situations, and ethnic stereotypes. However, the script fails to fully capitalise on this potential, as it discards the social, cultural, economic, and political context in favour of predictable romantic dilemmas. The humour, too, is often of poor quality, resulting in forgettable jokes that do little to engage the audience.
One of the major issues with the film is the casting of the protagonist, Romain Duris, who delivers a rather bland and forgettable performance. In contrast, the female cast is more interesting, with standout performances from Audrey Tautou as Xavier's girlfriend left in Paris, Judith Godrèche as the married woman with whom he falls in love, Cécile de France as his Belgian flatmate and lesbian mentor Isabelle, and Kelly Reilly as the fiery English flatmate Wendy.
Klapisch attempts to compensate for some of the deficiencies in his script with a "cool" and energetic MTV-style direction, occasionally using split-screen to comical effect. However, these segments are too few and far between to significantly improve the overall impression of the film.
Despite its shortcomings, L'auberge espagnole was well-received by critics and the European public alike. Klapisch continued the story of Xavier with two sequels, Russian Dolls in 2005 and Chinese Puzzle in 2013.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com
Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/
InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo
Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax
Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax
1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e
BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9