I’m a pretty die-hard rom-com fan. You’ve Got Mail, Never Been Kissed, 27 Dresses, pretty much any movie Hugh Grant did after 1998, are all favorites. Something about laughing and crying at the same time wildly appeals to me, along with thousands of other twenty-something women.
I cannot, however, quite get my head around movies that throw drama into the mix (dromantic-comedies?). Melodrama (melodromantic-comedies? I just can't stop myself...), sure — afterall, what's any decent picture without a little over(re)acting?
Toi et Moi revolves around two sisters: one, Lena (Marion Cotillard), a somewhat timid but beautiful cellist; the other, Ariane, (Julie Depardieu), a somewhat beautiful but loony photo-novelist. Sadly I found myself better able to relate to Ariane, who lives in her head, entertaining wild fantasies (that often translate into her work) about her lackluster relationship with Farid (Tomer Sisley), and that of Lena and her kind of lame boyfriend or husband (Eric Berger).
Enter Mark (Jonathan Zaccai), a dreamy violinist who shakes up Lena's whole world. They meet in London, have a sexually tense time together, and part ways with a passionate kiss. Lena figures that's that, until she discovers that they have a mutual friend in Paris.
Meanwhile, Ariane slowly begins to truly see the flaws in her courtship with Farid, at the same time being wooed by the sweet mason (Sergio Peris Mencheta) doing construction on her building.
Madness ensues. These sisters who look nothing alike must each make a decision that may change their lives forever. I won't give away the ending, but one of them ends up happier beyond her wildest dreams, and the other...well, her story was left kind of open-ended, and not quite so happy.
Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the realism of a less-than-perfect resolution, but I’m a sucker for happy endings, and frankly — stupidly, perhaps — I get a little upset when things aren’t wrapped up with a bright shiny bow. People gripe about movies being unrealistic, but really, to an extent, don't we watch movies to escape reality a little? If I'm gonna cough up $12 to see a movie or $20 for a DVD, then what's happening onscreen ought to be at least somewhat more interesting or uplifting than my own life.
Toi et Moi is not a bad movie. Vague finale aside, the plot and performances are decent, though nothing to rave about. Marion Cotillard and Julie Depardieu are both perfectly charming, lovely actresses, and the men in their lives are all relatively swoonworthy. The movie is all in all pretty average, the sort of thing you might put on for background noise, when you're doing research for your next novel or balancing your checkbook or blogging your heart out about Lady Gaga's latest fashion exploit. (This might be tricky, though, unless you speak or at least understand fluent French.)
DVD Bonus Features
None.
"Toi et Moi" is on sale November 24, 2009 and is rated NR. Comedy, Romance. Directed by Julie Lopes Curval. Written by Julie Lopes-Curval, Sophie Hiet. Starring Marion Cotillard, Julie Depardieu, Jonathan Zaccaï, Sergio Peris Mencheta, Tomer Sisley, Eric Berger.
