Review: A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noel)
Rating: *
Nonna's Rating: #
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
OK, I'm an American boor. I found this French movie (which all the critics seemed to love) pretentious, tedious, and ultimately silly. I do agree with them, however, that Catherine Deneuve is absolutely "luminous" (everyone seems to use that word) and her acting is flawless. Jean-Paul Roussillon, as her husband Abel, is equally commendable. The other actors do well enough but some, like Elizabeth (Anne Consigny), are drawn so grotesquely they have no chance of achieving credibility.
The plot is disjointed and limps along. We wait for some revelation that will begin to explain some of the strained relationships in the family, but it never comes. When all is said and done, what disturbs me most about this film is that just about everyone but the children smokes incessently. By the end, I was seriously concerned about second-hand fumes.
Nonna's Ratings:
$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it
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