 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Le Divorce
- Review Date: January 21, 2004
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2003
Common Sense Media says
Not a frothy romantic comedy.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has mature themes, sexual references, and situations, including adultery. There is some strong language. And there is an attempted suicide and serious (off-screen) violence.
What's the story?
Kate Hudson plays Isabel, a California girl arriving in Paris to help her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts). But just as Isabel arrives, Roxy's artist husband Charles-Henri (Melvil Poupaud) leaves. So Isabel and Roxy are set adrift in a culture and legal system that is foreign to them. But Isabel and Roxy do not know how to deal with the subtlety and indirection of the rest of Charles-Henri's family, led by his mother (Leslie Caron). They appear to be plotting to have a painting hanging in Roxy's apartment declared to be part of the marital assets to be divided in the divorce. Roxy says that the painting belonged to her family, who just loaned it to her for her apartment. But it now appears that the painting might be much more valuable than they had thought, and Charles-Henri's brother brings in a curator from the Louvre to authenticate it as a Georges de la Tour. The ambiguity of the painting's provenance (three different experts come to see it and all have different opinions) and its status as a marital asset parallels the precariousness Roxy and Isabel experience in their relationships.
Is it any good?
LE DIVORCE may look and sound like a glossy romantic comedy, but it is instead an uneven take on the culture clash between America and France. All of the performances sparkle and there are some witty and sharply observed moments. But the movie's own perspective becomes too ambiguous, especially when it veers into a tragedy that throws everything out of balance.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the way the different characters see and react to the same things -- for example, the painting, marital fidelity, discussion of sensitive topics. Is that due to differences in culture or to something else?
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What was the point?
This is a movie that seems to have lost its way. There were several interesting plot lines, but I kept asking myself, "Where is this headed? What is the point? Is it almost over?" The problems seemed carefully crafted, but then were all resolved in one rather clumsy swoop. The main character, played by Kate Hudson, was in bed with two different men in a few short minutes from the start. Americans came off as insipid and easy. The French came off as unfaithful and flippant. The movie was chock full of good actors, but they didn't have good material. My suggestion: Skip it. It wasn't even entertaining.
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AGE
LE DIVORCE
Just like the review states, I was expecting LE DIVORCE to be a frothy romantic comedy. But boy was I wrong.
Sex-7: Sexual issues and situaions including adultery.
Violence-6: Lots of emotional stress and some off screen violence.
Language-6: Some pretty strong language is present.
Drugs-0
Scariness- 4: Themes of sucicide.
My Rating: R for mature thematic elemets, sexual content and some strong language
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| Studio: | Fox Searchlight |
| Director: | James Ivory |
| Cast: | Glenn Close, Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 115 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | August 8, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | January 27, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | mature thematic elements and sexual content |
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