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To say that this was a wonderful story of love would be to understate what love means. A story that lifts you up yet also smashes you down with the sad yet unmistakable fact that "You can't always get what you want" to quote a very prominent rock band.
There are several wonderful performances in this film but none more so that Frank Langella (Sam) as the father of Brian Bloom (Anthony Yeltsin) who falls in love with a married women and does not want his son inevitably hurt by the situation he embarks upon.
The clash of cultures is evident as Brian is the unmistakable American that cannot understand the social mores that Arielle (Berenice Marlohe) brings with her. Their exists an endearing French experience where each person in a marriage can at once be comfortable in this relationship yet at the same time find it socially acceptable to have a mistress with the full knowledge and encouragement of the other partner. This is know as a "5 to 7" relationship.
Needless to say this is a slightly foreign experience in North American society where we are taught that you can'y have your cake and eat it too.
"Were they ordered from a catalog?" is the question that Brian asks Valery (the father) when he meets Arielle's children given their manners and total acceptance of their mother's relationship with Brian. It is natural to them for this state of affairs to exist for both their parents and revel in the happiness this creates for their mother.
If you love love this is a terrific movie to watch and will keep you hoping that the perfect love can be out there. (I know to many loves in this sentence but can there really be too much love anywhere?)
8/10
