Claudine's Return

The reason you have not heard of this film is that no one saw it, and that is the way it should be. Applegate is almost decent, but the accent seems variable, and she doesn't transition us through her mood swings, which probably is more the fault of the director, editor, and writers than hers. Somehow I did not get why she was as nutso as she was. Just a spoiled little rich girl all twisted by unhappy events? Persons of modest strength survive the traumas of life, why couldn't Claudine? It was a bit like destroying your life with drugs and alcohol because someone had a better senior prom dress. Wasn't that Valerie Perrine in the end as the stepmom? Where was her credit? Did she decline one when she saw how bad the film was? If so, she showed marvelous taste.

this was a fairly confused film, that seemed to suffer from a failure of a sense of 'place'--at times i felt i was in hipster berlin, in some basement bordello, at times on a wild georgia coast. their was something odd and peculiar about the location, sets, and sexuality of the main characters, that i could never really put my finger on. nevertheless, Christina applegate turns in a surprisingly subtle, smart, and wry performance, the cinematography is LOVELY in the outdoor settings, and there are comic, as well as a few almost mystically beautiful moments. along with some very clunky and dumb ones. one gets the feeling the film is very much a MISS, but that their must have been something interesting underlying the story that never quite made it to the surface. atmospheric, Christina is great, but ultimately, only an interestingly, occasionally downright muddled misfire...

I admit I got this movie partly as a goof and partly because I was interested to see Christiana Applegate in a movie the box suggested (name change to "Kiss of Fire" and more, it was rather funny really) was a trashy genre film. I actually enjoyed Applegate, who does not have much of a career outside of "Married ... w Children" (sadly, since she has potential), in the low budget film "Streets," I hoped this was similiar fare. It turns out to be a character study with some seedy elements and bad (and somewhat inconsistent) accents. It would have been nice if I knew a bit more about the characters I was watching, and the ending was rather sudden and pointless. Also, the whole little girl symbolism was just one of the stylistic touches that just didn't work.

Nonetheless, I do recommend people to watch the film for Christiana Applegate's performance. Not only does she look great in the film (no nudity, sorry, though she does a good dance scene), but she gives a rather good performance, and the accent isn't that bad (shock really to hear it given her past roles and all). Actually, she is the film -- the loser she hooks up is written and performed in such a lackluster fashion that you soon wish he would just go somewhere. The role would have even been better if it was written better; for instance, what motivates her to moonlight as a stripper? what about the hints of bisexuality? what is the point of the final scenes? The fact Applegate still shined suggests she has a future as an actress, if only she gets some good roles to show her talent.

The main reason I'm posting this comment is point out that there are NO NUDE scenes featuring the femme fatal Christina app legate so if you mistook the R-rating,and the cover showing Appplegate pole-dancing as an implication that you're gonna see a "money shot" then do yourself a favor, don't make the same mistake I did when it first came out and don't bother renting it. Its actually a really depressing movie, so if you're into soppy love stories then you might enjoy it. The acting was OK, I suppose, but frankly the overall wasn't my cup of tea. There are, however, love scenes although about as soft-core as a soap opera. Is it just me or should they start labeling what you get to see in a movie and who you get to see it on right on the box next to the rating?

I picked up this movie one day, thinking it would be lousy and horrible because of its stupid-looking cover, but my friend had strong convictions in his admiration of not only the movie but also the actors (and actresses) and also the director, etc.

So, thinking this would be a boring experience, I reluctantly watched this, but as the movie progressed, I was captivated by the performances, the direction, and the incredible plot line. The cinematography is deserving of an Oscar nomination, and so was Christina Applegate. But I must applaud Antonio Tibaldi for his excellent direction, and also his wonderful script!

Applegate's Claudine is just right, perfect, from the makeup to the acting. I applaud this movie also because it is not perverse like other movies, and Applegate does not have to show skin to make this movie wonderful. Also, might I add that after reading these atrocious comments others wrote, I must say that most of these other commenter's are perverted losers who just want to see 'a breast' or two. They do not care about real quality film-making.

I would recommend this movie to anybody who would wants to be emotionally moved.