ian-horn1

I so wanted to love this film. Jean-Pierre Juenet is one of my favourite directors. I love his Frenchness, his quirky film making, his originality. A Very Long Engagement, Micmacs, Amelie, Delicatessen, even Alien Resurrection, they have all been wonderful. But then along came Spivit and things changed. Yes, there was quirkiness, yes, the film looked good, but ultimately something was missing. And Big Bug is no different. It is definitely not Hollywood, it is clearly quirky, but it lacks endearing characters and an interesting story. The look of the film and the special effects are not a problem, they have a lo-fi, cartoonlike, sci-fi feel, but don't feel out of place. It's just the lack of a Dominique Pinon, or a Yolande Moreau that disappoints. Yes, there is Isabelle Nanty and Elsa Zylberstein, but they are rather wasted, and the male leads are frankly just annoying. I guess Dany Boon and Omar Sy were busy? It just felt like a wasted opportunity and given the time between Jeunet's films, it's going to be a while before he redeems himself i would suspect.

I wanted to like this film, I really did. Its nicely set, the costumes and the feeling of the time and place are quite accurate. The story is ok. Its just so very flat a film. I don't mind slowly paced films, but to make up for the lack of pace they need to be charming, or witty, or nuanced.....or at the very least original. All through this film I thought of Chocolat. Similar premise in both, but Chocolat is better scripted, acted and directed. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with The Bookshop, it just underwhelms. Maybe I should have watched it on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it passes the time harmlessly. A bit like a BBC period drama.

This film has something for everyone. There is a white lead and a black lead. That ticks 2 boxes. There is a gory (in places) thriller for the guys and eye candy for the girls. Another 2 ticks. There is even something for the StarTrek fans...... its a box office winner. But it forgot to tick a very important box. A credible storyline. After a promising start, it deteriorates into complete, unbelievable nonsense. The endgame is bordering on farce. I am sure it is hard to find new twists, which we expect these days. A completely original story is impossible, i do understand. But at least make it credible, tell a straight story well, rather than a convoluted one badly. Jamie Foxx has won awards!! He is a great actor. Gerard Butler is.... well he's Gerard Butler. He's done a couple of good films right? What were they doing in agreeing to do this utter tosh?? Do yourself a favour, stay in, save some money and rent Taken instead. Or go the whole hog and get the original Deathwish...... it was far, far better and a whole lot more believable.