Reviews (1)

Wonderful, human, sad and funny
This is a wonderful film that everyone will enjoy, no matter your background and perspective. Chatiliez has love for everyone. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Funny, great art house film
Audrey Tatou is exceptional!

'God is Great' shows Tatou, once again, in the shoes of an exquisitely quirky, young woman seeking enlightenment. Her on again - off again boyfriend, Francois, is a non-practicing Jew. Tatou decides to convert herself in order to convert him, more or less.

In the story's journey, Michelle (Tatou) and Francois break up and get back together several times, and show that some things are just beyond the reaches of faith. Sometimes, people need each other despite their differences. You can't live with them, but you most definitely can't live without them, either.

Overall, 'God is Great' was a beautiful film with deeper sentiment.

God is great, this movie isnt.
This movie is advertized as a comedy, but there's nothing funny about it. It's long, and a pure melodrama. I was totally disappointed

the confused seek enlightenment
Adurey Tatou stars as Michelle, a "top model" (as she verbatim defines her profession) who decides to start finding spirituality. Except she seems to think she can learn it from books and then by forcing others to teach her, rather than looking within. In this manner, she tries out Catholicism, Buddhism and Judaism the way others try on shoes.

Francois is her love interest and he is also Jewish. Michelle decides to infiltrate Francois' family and life after a one night stand that ends in her (failed) suicide attempt. In order to do this, she tries to impress them with all that she has learned about Judaism, taking classes with Francois.

At times, this movie seems as confused and misguided as Michelle, but it is still a good little flick.

Spirit Light
"God Is Great & I'm Not" appears flavored by French skepticism toward religion. Audrey Tautou who charmed us in the international hit "Amelie" again teams with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, but the results are not quite as satisfying, although still worthy of one night's viewing.

Her character Michelle searches for spirituality the way one might try to find the right cut of meat in the supermarket. She flits from Catholicism to Buddhism to Judaism. All of this would be tremendously interesting if the religions seemed to saturate her with the best of their teachings. We could have seen a character similar to Amelie who went about trying to do good; now trying to do good as a Catholic, then as a Buddhist, then as a Jew. Instead, we are relegated to the details of Buddhist meditation and the Jewish Shabbat while missing any larger connection of spiritual thought. Meantime, Michelle is also a model. The film is punctuated by her shooting various styles of dress and posing seductively for the camera.

Edouard Baer as boyfriend Francois gives the film a reality in his performance, bothered by details of a series of romantic attachments and concerned with a young-30s male perspective of not wanting responsibilities of fatherhood. However, as wonderful as he is, he's not funny, which makes the lighthearted comedy sink a bit.

Jeunet's quick cuts give a cinema verite feel to the film and an episodic structure. However, "GISGBIN" seems to end abruptly rather than building to a climax. Equally puzzling is the "to be continued" moniker at the end. Continue what? Why? Did we care enough to want a second film? Despite all that the film is not, Tautou is captivating. Enjoy, if only for one night!

Audrey Tautou is great!
This is a quirky film about a rather annoying character, Michelle, played by Audrey Tautou ("Amelie.") Michelle is on a spiritual quest, fueled by her totally absent past ("What was my father like?" she askes her terminally nervous mother. "The past is past" replies Mom, and that's all Michelle ever learns.) As a result, she annoys her friends and alienates her lovers on a spiritual search that ranges from Catholicism, Buddhism and comically, Judaism, inspired by a Jewish boyfriend whose parents live in Israel but is about as Jewish as Brie cheese.

The character played by Tautou is irritating and yet there is a bit of Michelle in all of us, searching when young to find out who we really are. The film is amusing and sad all at the same time. While I did not like Tautou's character, her portrayal was fantastic, and the supporting cast was excellent. A fine little film that would appeal to young and old alike. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Green House, directed by veteran French filmmaker Philippe de Broca, relates the familiar art-house tale of a grumpy old man who falls under the humanizing spell of a precocious little girl. Set during the last months of the German occupation of France, the action takes place in the protected confines of Paris's combined zoo and horticultural center, Le Jardin de Plantes, where the grump Fernand (Claude Rich) is the devoted director.He inherits Philippine (Salomée Stévenin), his granddaughter, when his good-for-nothing son is shot by the Germans for a curfew violation. Taking her into his walled-in domain, which opens before her like a magical kingdom full of cuddly animals and exotic vegetation, he creates a different world for her, free of the ugly realities of the occupation.

De Broca, who created one of the early favorites of the cult revival circuit, King of Hearts, in 1966, strains just as hard as Fernand to revive his old formula, pitting gentle whimsy against the horror of war. But if de Broca could pass off that notion as poetry 30 years ago, in this cynically rehashed form it seems like rank sentimentality. --Dave Kehr ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A FANATASY COME TRUE
How does a crotchety old zoo director tell his grand-daughter that her father is dead? He doesn't. Instead he tells her this delightful story of her father being a heroic resistence fighter. Fill her with these fantasies when you know they are not true but you want to spare the child the evil of war.

The Green House takes us to the waning days of WWII in France where an old man delights in fantasies even though he knows they are lies to cover his son's as well as his inadequecies. The two of them are cowards you see.

This delightful picture will make you laugh, cry and see the changes of a man who comes to terms with the loss of his son and the birth of a new sense of courage in dealing with the Nazis. You will delight in the old man's antics along with his grand-daughter of eight years old who leads the way. Set before us is a story of love, courage and commitment that binds a family together in the midst of tragedy. Green House is an excellent film for family viewing and is a must buy for your film library. ... Read more