The film opens with a reel of (animated) oldtime vaudeville hits, including a topless Josephine Baker doing the banana dance. This is likely what drew the PG-13 rating, as there is no other nudity and only hinted-at offscreen violence. (Pistols fire, but no bullets are seen connecting, and there is no blood. Frogs are hunted and eaten, but the only violence against humans is on the Road Runner level.)
Don't let the "French with English Subtitles" header fool you. There are no subtitles, for none are needed. Sounds aplenty, from a whoofing dog to twangs and whistles, complete with jazz score, but only maybe three lines of dialogue total. You won't miss the words, anyway.
The animation stretches the bounds of the medium. Amazing depth in the quirk of an eyebrow, the wrinkled whiskery mouth of a grandma, and the wounded lip-lifting sigh of a fat hound dog. It's weird, wild, and hilarious, with a captivating plot (though initially delightfully slow-paced), but it's the characters that grab you, and hold you, and drag you bouncing along after them in a zany, crazy, topsy-turvy ride where maitre'des literally bend over backwards as the French mafia pursue improbable entertainments in the back corriders of a Grand Hotel.
Go see it. Take your kids if they have a bit of the quirky in their characters and if they can understand what a gun is and what not to do with one. You might want to cover their eyes for the Josephine Baker part, as she, um, shimmies with the best of 'em. But at least they won't be learning any new curse words, and they will see a tale of true family love and devotion.
posted
I saw it back in November at that Savannah Film Fest. Brilliant, brilliat film. If it's showing near you, go see it.
Posts: 2689 | Registered: Apr 2000
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Strider and I had the pleasure of seeing this last Friday night...so very, very good. Too bad it didn't get a wider release -- Foreign Animation is so edgy and creative...i wish american film would take such risks!
Posts: 3516 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I saw the movie when it went out in France, and I remember telling you to go and see it. It's simply amazing. Nothing like what I had seen before, original, and the music is simply wonderful (I did buy the original soundtrack the day after I saw the movie).
Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I got to see it this weekend and I just loved it!! The complete lack of dialogue is brilliant as is the imagery and sound effects. Definitely, go see it.
(I loved that song she sang at the piano in Portuguese because I could finally understand something!) Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I saw this film two weeks ago and really enjoyed it! I can't remember the last time I've seen something more original, especially done as an animated film.
As much as I enjoyed Finding Nemo, I'm disappointed that this didn't win the Oscar. I thought it was incredibly creative, amazingly well done, and deserved the recognition.
Posts: 17 | Registered: Jan 2004
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I just have to second what everyone else in this thread said. I loved the movie. I loved the fact that dialogue was not needed at all to understand the movie and what was going on. And I loved that the movie went places that I'm pretty sure an american film wouldn't have gone.
And their take on NYC and America was just priceless. Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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You know, it's interesting that we Americans are amused by the French's highly negative portrayal of us in this film; are the French equally amused when we make fun of THEM in film?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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couldn't tell you either, but i'm not offended because i know it's obviously just a humorously (and really hysterical) exaggeration for comedic effect and i guess a little social commentary -- and that's okay by me!
Posts: 3516 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I saw Johnny English and was pretty amused by John Malkovitch character of awfull Frenchie. Also, for you to know, if you though the mafia characters were American : the Mafia is a French mafia actually. Written on the original music disk. Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I bump this thread, first because the movie is really amazing, and to say that my favorite parts in Monty Python Holy Grail are the ones with the French Knights. "Of courrrrse I am Frrrrench ! Why do you think I have this outrrrrageous accent ?" Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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