User reviews

This was a funny one for me... while there was a lot to admire about this movie, there were several things that irritated me about it.

On the one hand, it was, in many respects a well-made film; the acting was superb (almost always the case in European movies), the pacing was good, and it was well shot. Some of the scenes were excellent, and the director did a fantastic job of building the tension, and making the audience squirm as the main protagonist dug himself deeper and deeper into a hole of self-destruction. The ending was left deliberately and intriguingly ambiguous (which I like). There were also moments of real comedy, which were well-placed.

There were, however, a number of frustrating aspects to it. Several elements of the plot were glaringly improbable, which made the characters harder to empathise with, and the movie harder to take seriously. The musical score was almost comically ominous and melodramatic. A narrator suddenly popped up halfway through the movie and only appeared twice more - a needless, distracting and frankly baffling gimmick. One strand of the plot fizzled out and proved ultimately irrelevant.

In summary, this movie is worth seeing if there's nothing else on. There are some interesting ideas, some great scenes, and its emotional, passionate nature would appeal to the romantics of this world. The cast is also superb. There were, however, several problems with it, which served to exasperate me.

A man misses his train and as a result he meets a lady. They spend the night together (you aren't sure if they had sex...this is a bit vague) and before he leaves the next morning to go home, they agree to meet...but they don't know each other's names. He is late for the meeting (because he's an idiot) and she eventually leaves--and normally this would be the end of that. However, some time passes and the same man ends up meeting another woman. They fall in love and marry...and it turns out she's the sister of the woman at the beginning of the film. Talk about awkward family reunions!

When the new husband sees his sister-in-law later, they naturally recognize each other but neither says anything. Several years pass and there still is an unspoken awkwardness between the man and his sister-in-law. Out of the blue, however, they begin an affair. Not surprisingly, this isn't a particularly good idea and things get complicated--though by the end of the film, you get the idea everything will inexplicably work out fine!

One thing I appreciated in this film as well as in many French films is that the folks in the movie are NOT Hollywood beauties nor even close to it. They seem very ordinary and are middle-aged and this makes the film seem a bit more real. This being said, however, the story is very contrived. After all, what are the odds of any of this happening?! The coincidence that the woman he marries is the sister of the woman at the beginning of the film? That he would end up being late just like in "An Affair to Remember" (minus the auto accident). That the two at the beginning of the film would later become lovers...especially since they never really talked between then and the beginning of the movie? And, ultimately, that the mother-in-law would somehow guess exactly what is happening--despite there really being no evidence of this affair. All of this seems a bit far-fetched. Additionally, it was very difficult to empathize with the characters who had the affair--they just seemed like selfish jerks. Because of all these difficulties with the script, I still give the film a 5--simply because the acting is very good though the story left a bit to be desired.

I must admit that I approached this film with a quite special a priori. On one hand, I love the actors Benoît Poelvoorde and Chiara Mastroianni. On the other hand, the last three movies of Benoît Jacquot (i.e. Dernier amour, Éva, À jamais) are, in my humble opinion, relatively mediocre.

Marc is a caricature of what is called in French a 'coeur d'artichaut': he falls easily in love. Too easily! Thus, Marc encounters Sylvie but, as soon as they know each other, they lose sight of each other, following an unforeseen event. A few days later, Marc meets Sophie by chance and falls in love ... again. It turns out that Sophie is unfortunately the sister of Sylvie. The film traces then a triangular relationship with Marc and the two sisters, Sylvie and Sophie. As you may guess, the wheels will soon be off the cart!

As usual with Benoît Jacquot, the script is far-fetched and Benoît Jacquot seems to go astray or wander. But the quatuor Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve is excellent. Even if his character is barely credible, Benoît Poelvoorde is really great. And Chiara Mastroianni is exceptionally magnificent.

As a synthesis: 5/6 of 10. Although the script is lopsided, the film contains some sublime scenes.

PS: Three coeurs is the tenth film gathering Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, after these ones: Les lignes de Wellington (2012), Les bien-aimés (2011), Bancs publics (Versailles rive droite) (2009), Un conte de Noël (2008), Persepolis (2007), Le temps retrouvé, d'après l'oeuvre de Marcel Proust (1999), Les voleurs (1996), Ma saison préférée (1993) and À nous deux (1979). Champagne !

Super acting to make the thing believable. It is amusing the way it is set up and I kind of like the idea that love and sex are not quite the same to the point that a frustrated love at first meeting reach out awkwardly. Can't say this could happen to a lot of people.

... had the story better presented more up front in the encounter between him & sister number one, the storyline's evolution & ending would-might have come across with a lot more feeling-meaning... and total-overdrama at the end for him, just made the entire production slide downward a notch or two

... this was-is a stellar cast, doing outstanding work... they all did their part, yet that's only some of what goes into an extraordinary film.... IMDb reviewers getting this one right, a very-decent film, but far from what would be considered a really-really good one... in the end, the tale just lacks authentic-belief, and not just once, and that makes all the difference.

Unfortunately, this movie did not work well for me. I must admit I don't really like romances, but I can appreciate it when it's well done. The story is quite weak. It doesn't really grab the attention, it does not really convince. It tries to build up a tension (music is anticipating) to something that might happen later on in the movie; but the movie-makers placed importance and weight where I did not experience much importance and weight. Poelvoorde does not play bad, but the character he must play does not give him much room to play well; probably the character itself does not work sufficiently. I know Poelvoorde can play well, having seen him in his first film... Best acting is by Deneuve though she has not a big role. All in all this was a disappointing movie for me.

Director Benoît Jacquot's "3 coeurs" ("3 Hearts") gathers on screen a stellar cast. The three lead feminine roles are trusted to Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg, the daughter of ..., and Chiara Mastroianni, also the daughter of ... and also the daughter of Deneuve in real life. Gainsbourg and Mastroianni play the roles of two sisters in whose life shows up a man - the role is played by Benoît Poelvoorde, whom I have last time seen playing the role of ... God in The Brand New Testament, a film which you should search to see if you happen to have missed. The names and fame of the actors were the principal reasons for which I chose to see this film, and probably also the main reasons for which I will remember it.

Marc Beaulieu (Benoît Poelvoorde) is a tax inspector. A good one and probably even a man of integrity because we see him involved in valiantly handling a high-level corruption case (not really related to the rest of the story). Numbers and determinism may be his profession, but hazard seems to reign in his personal life, which looks like a mess in which he attracts also the two sisters, one after the other. His heart is also feeble, the heart which is said to be for humans the center of noble emotions, but which also distracts and derails the paths of life when it physically malfunctions. Should we let hazard (or destiny) reign upon our lives, or should we try to fix its effects? Is this even possible?

The questions raised by the story in the film are interesting, the resulting film is not really up to the premises. The principal reason is the pace of the story, which lingers for long periods, to jump suddenly at some moments, without a good connection between the different episodes. Good acting cannot save the flaws of the story and especially of the story telling, and despite the promises "3 coeurs" ends by being just another love triangle movie.

Is there such a thing as true love at first sight? This film attempts to follow the course of three people's lives in the exploration of the question, even if there is no answer forthcoming. Is there ever?

One night in a small French town, a tax accountant named Marc has missed the last train to Paris and chances upon a woman in a hotel bar. They start talking, rather, he runs after her, and we're told they spend the night wandering around in perfect harmony. No names or numbers or other mundane details are exchanged, although they do promise to meet the next week at a certain location in Paris.

This seems to be the only time the two characters actually do something, as in, take a decision. From here on out, life just takes over. The meeting at the Jardin de Toulieres (jaw-droppingly beautiful, what is it with Paris and its gardens) never takes place. Marc is prone to panic attacks, you see. Or was it an actual heart attack? Anyway, the two would-be lovers are thus separated. Thereafter, Marc somehow meets another woman, falls in love, marries. But ah! this new woman, Sophie, unbeknownst to all, is actually the sister of the old one, Sylvie. Ergo, path to destruction has been charted.

Read full review at: http://devikamenon.blogspot.com/2016/06/french- movie-friday-3-coeurs.html

I chose to watch it by coincidence. I could see most reviews were not favorable. It's slow in pace and lacked of dialogues and physical actions also. Yet, the actors and actresses resonated with me.

The story revealed how falling in love in first sight happened if you ever vouched for it. It's far from the Cinderella story. On the contrary, the subsequent was tragic. The twists and turns of three involved parties had fateful endings. Nonetheless, it left me long lasting reflections.

Frequently, American movies overwhelmed with dialogues and actions. Inadvertently, audience are practically told how to feel also. Employing body languages and facial expressions to depict the story would raise audience's senses for a change. Movies like this could linger in your thought for a while. They also require higher degrees of crafts which actors here sometimes are not equipped to do.

It's not a dramatic one but you will remember and be moved by. I would recommend it.

Why is this film rated 6/10, if this was a period drama, before mobile phones, maybe when they used pigeons and mail took over 4 days to arrive, it would make sense, but this film is set in the present and in order for the plot/script to work there had to be so many gaps to achieve the outcome.

So, who in their right mind would travel to Paris, not knowing each others name or taking each others phone numbers, I dunno, just in case I could'nt make it, especially when one has admitted to heart problems. Who ever wrote the script to this film obviously realized it would be over in the first 10 minutes.

Also, I would like to know what Marc puts in his tea to be able to pull 2 women in 5 minutes, and he should do the lottery, having pulled sisters ( bit of a coincidence ) what are the chances.

I guess the actual film has some good points but only deserves a 2/10.

Don't be fooled by the low rating. Totally loved this film. Very realistic. This is not a Hollywood film with a lot of special effects. So if you are looking for a fairy tale, move on to the next film in queue. The cast is absolutely superb - very real life, all very likable. I loved the three main characters played by Benoit, Charlotte and Chiara. It is hard to dictate whom and how to love, how to fall out of love. And the film is about emotional turmoil involved in chance meetings and close-knit triangles. The ending is open to interpretation. And last, but not least, I totally and completely disagree with other reviewers who mentioned that the cast is sub-par (so far from reality). Great film.

This is a wonderful, nicely told story. If you are into the depths of love, its intricate paths, its death ends, this is for you. This is an entertaining yet thoughtful exploration of the intricacies of romantic love, sisterhood, and mother's love. You will struggle to take a side and will leave the film gently touched. Think twice if you are only expecting just another predictable Hollywood film.