Jean de Florette

A commercial for the beauty of a sunny Provence through a cynically sincere story about people that is very close to my Czech heart. Because it’s nice to see that conmen and tricksters exist elsewhere than in our meadows and woods, but that they spring up like mushrooms anywhere they see an opportunity of getting their hands on some money. The best performances come from the trio of farmers. Although one would have to try pretty damn hard to get a badly acted movie with stars the likes of Auteuil, Montand and Depardieu. But this isn’t enough for a flawless experience since, in comparison to the excellent introduction, the middle part is unfortunately too ordinary and lacks a moment of surprise. It’s the same model over and over. Although I freely admit that I realized this only after the movie ended, because the music and camerawork disguise this insufficiency. But if you feel like having yourself a picnic in the park, open a good bottle of wine and enjoy a bit of countryside and forget about the crooks all around... (05/24/2008)