|
Isabel Walker (Hudson) comes to Paris to assist her
five-months-pregnant sister Roxeanne (Watts), but her
timing is awkward, to say the least. Just as she steps out
of the cab at her sister’s doorstep, Roxy’s husband Charles-Henri
(Poupaud) heads out the door shortly after announcing
that he is leaving his wife and their five-year-old daughter,
presumably for another woman, though he won’t admit as much.
He later informs Roxeanne he wants “le divorce.”
What should be a relatively civil French-style separation
rapidly degenerates, in part because Roxie is in possession
of an original Henri Fantin-Latour featuring the image
of St. Ursula. But what to do with this painting has
now suddenly become a complicated affair. Here, Bebe Neuwirth
has a small and underused performance as an art historian
who desperately wants the painting for the Getty Museum. Yet
Roxeanne’s French in-laws, headed by the sanctimonious matriarch
Suzanne (Caron) insist that, despite the reprehensible
actions of her son, division of all assets down the middle
is most appropriate and she cautions Roxeanne not to remove
the painting from France. But appropriate actions in this
extended family are surely lacking on all sides, with the
exception of Roxeanne herself. As saintly as the figure in
the much-coveted painting she possesses, Roxeanne now finds
herself in an even more difficult situation. With her gravid
belly serving as a constant reminder she is carrying a child
conceived by an unfaithful husband, she must now also demonstrate
virtuous patience when her cash-conscious in-laws begin to
take inventory of her household objects. She could probably
tell her in-laws to go take a hike, but the actions of her
sister Isabel makes matters more complicated. Isabel does
well by promptly finding work helping organize the scholarly
papers of a literary academic (played by Glenn Close)
but she also begins a dual affair with two French opposites.
Her casual affair with a sexy, disheveled peasant is hardly
a problem, but soon thereafter Isabel also begins an affair
as the kept mistress of the married Edgar (Lhermitte),
Charles Henri’s older and very distinguished uncle, who showers
his paramour with expensive gifts and dinners at classy French
restaurants.
The set-up for the double standard about sex and cheating
is obvious, and yet the universal nature of the subject matter
set this time in modern-day France seems to leave the Merchant-Ivory
team perplexed. Perhaps without the period piece costumes
and formal dialogue of Victorians, the dynamic duo is not
as sure of themselves. As a result, no one in Le Divorce
seems to experience any sort of an epiphany or realistic comeuppance.
Le Divorce is something of a let down in other ways
as well. Heartache and moral quandaries of the leisurely rich
may make for enchanting subject matter when the characters
come from a Henry James novel, but when the same formula
is attempted in contemporary continental Europe, the fascination
just isn’t there. This is not to suggest the problems faced
by the wealthy Walker family aren’t serious or even entertaining.
Take poor Roxeanne, for instance. In addition to her marital
woes, she is also being stalked by an emotionally troubled
man (played by Matthew Modine), who, it later turns
out, is also the victim of Charles Henri’s infidelities.
And when the sisters’ parents (Stockard Channing and
Sam Waterston) arrive to help their troubled daughters,
the drama of how to deal with the Latour painting only intensifies.
But inevitably it’s difficult to relate to people who squabble
about how much to tip the French waiter after their lunch
tab comes to $900. And it’s certainly hard to feel too much
empathy for characters who seem to live on no budgets and
are about to come into even greater sums of money if only
they can find out how best to rid themselves of their Latour.
Le Divorce is also, I suspect, an awkward translation
of Diane Johnson’s novel of the same name. Almost two
hours long, the film is enjoyable and evenly paced, as pleasant
as an afternoon walk through a cobbled Paris street in a gentle
rain. That is, until the very end, when suddenly important
plot changes are rapidly shoved together in the last 15 minutes
of the film. The result is a jarring, rushed ending that seems
sped up compared to the relaxed pace of the film. As a result,
Le Divorce is nearly impossible to categorize. Is it
a romantic comedy? Is it a black comedy? At times it’s quirky
and sweet in its treatment of sex and romance. At other times,
there are sharp and not so subtle barbs concerning the cultural
chasm that inexplicably separates Americans from the French.
And then suddenly when it seems Le Divorce is a gentle
comedy it veers sharply into a rather dark area of murder
and crimes of passion. Leaving the theater, I could only imagine
the nightmare video store clerks will have when trying to
figure out what genre this film ultimately falls into. Despite
these flaws, Le Divorce has a certain charm to it.
Though the “star studded cast” is a bit overwhelming, Hudson
and Watts give watchable performances as young Americans in
love in Paris, and however it’s classified or categorized,
Le Divorce ultimately deserves a place as recommended
viewing
—Nancy Semin
|
While we would never encourage anyone to destroy a video... 
