What's in a Name

In this delightful conversational film set in a living room, one line escalates into comical misunderstandings and a quarrel involving everyone. The charm of French chattiness and overwrought emotional reactions is balanced by serious moments and the revelation of the individual characters’ hidden feelings. What’s in a Name is similar to the slightly better Italian (and now German, as in this case) Perfect Strangers. (06/19/2022)

An amazing situational movie. Actually, it is the greatest France in its best current form. In What’s in a Name, the plot evolves from minute to minute with well-written dialogues. However, I can’t rate it five stars as there were still some moments which were boring for me. Especially in the beginning. It took a long time until we got to the essence of it… (09/04/2013)

Riding the same wave (although this is more like a several-story high tsunami) as Carnage and countless others. Of course, this is “just" another in an endless row of interior, purely conversational (tragi)comedies that don’t treat the audience as idiots and are based on plays. No, they don’t come up with anything new. And yes, it doesn’t matter at all because this time it is simply the best conversation piece far and wide. Nothing more and nothing less. (11/26/2012)

I like these "around the table" movies, but I've also seen quite a few of them in the last year, so I'm a bit more critical of them now. But What's in a Name is definitely one of the more successful ones. I found the plot development quite believable and the dialogue was witty, sharp, and intelligent most of the time, in the French way. One thing led naturally to another, and it culminated "nicely" at the end. One of the actresses did get on my nerves with her screaming temper for half the film, but that may be preferable in films like this. 4 stars. (12/20/2020)