IT'S GOT SEX, HIV - AND A BEAT.Byline: Stephen Holden The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Only France could have produced a charmingly eccentric bonbon like ``Jeanne and the Perfect Guy,'' a bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. movie musical that suggests an unlikely collision of ``The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' and ``Rent.'' Giddily romantic one moment, gawkily militant the next, this emotional seesaw (language) SEESAW - An early system on the IBM 701. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. of a movie switches back and forth between dreamy love scenes and Act-Up demonstrations without its feet ever touching the ground. The score by Philippe Miller, with lyrics by Jacques Martineau (who directed with Olivier Ducastel), has many contemporary flourishes but is still rooted in the unabashedly un·a·bashed adj. 1. Not disconcerted or embarrassed; poised. 2. Not concealed or disguised; obvious: unabashed disgust. lachrymose Gallic pop tradition of Michel Legrand. Although the movie deals directly with the AIDS crisis, the only thing that really matters in its scheme of things is true love: finding it, keeping it, losing it, enshrining it. When Jeanne (the enchanting Virginie Ledoyen Virginie Ledoyen (born Virginie Fernandez on November 15, 1976 in Paris) is a French actress. She was a print model from the age of 2 and later took on the stage name "Ledoyen" after the maiden name of her maternal grandmother, who had been a stage actress. ), a free-spirited young travel-agency receptionist who has had many lovers, meets Olivier (Mathieu Demy Mathieu Demy is a French actor, born October 15, 1972 in Paris. He is the son of Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy. Filmography
On their second date, Olivier tells Jeanne he is HIV-positive from his days as a heroin addict. (He has since given up the drug.) Olivier's health deteriorates rapidly, and, after collapsing in his apartment, he is rushed to the hospital. One day when Jeanne goes to visit him, she discovers he has been discharged under the care of his parents. The hospital refuses to disclose the family's address. Will Jeanne be able to track him down for a last weepy farewell? Don't count on it. Wispy wisp n. 1. A small bunch or bundle, as of straw, hair, or grass. 2. a. One that is thin, frail, or slight. b. A thin or faint streak or fragment, as of smoke or clouds. 3. subplots follow Jeanne's breakup with a casual lover who won't take no for an answer. She also reunites with an old friend, Francois (Jacques Bonnaffe) who is gay and has recently lost a lover to AIDS. Unbeknown to Jeanne, Francois is Olivier's mentor in the Parisian division of Act-Up. The film tries to stir up pathos in Jeanne and Francois' never realizing their shared connection to Olivier, despite their friendship. In its heart and soul, ``Jeanne and the Perfect Guy'' (``Jeanne et le Garcon gar·çon n. pl. gar·çons A waiter. [French, from Old French garçun, servant, accusative of gars, boy, soldier, probably of Germanic origin.] Formidable'') is a direct descendant of Jacques Demy's candy-colored musical sorbets, ``The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' and ``The Young Girls of Rochefort,'' films whose bubbly head-in-the-clouds romanticism make the airiest Hollywood musicals seem almost cynical. The casting of Demy's son Mathieu as Olivier underscores the lineage. He is adequate as a kind of male Camille around whom everyone flutters anxiously, but he is no match for Ledoyen, whose dark beauty, casual sensuality and amazing self-possession radiate ra·di·ate v. 1. To spread out in all directions from a center. 2. To emit or be emitted as radiation. ra pure screen charisma. Although ``Jeanne and the Perfect Guy'' has a lot more spoken dialogue than Jacques Demy's sentimental classics, its cloud-nine atmosphere is very similar. So is the technique of the film, whose characters crudely lip-sync their numbers to lush recorded tracks. As Jeanne floats through the streets of Paris, male dancers glide into step for quick dreamy pas de deux pas de deux (French; “step for two”) Dance for two performers. A characteristic part of classical ballet, it includes an adagio, or slow dance, by the ballerina and her partner; solo variations by the male dancer and then the ballerina; and a coda, or . One thing that distinguishes ``Jeanne'' from its Gallic forerunners is its sexual candor. The sight of young lovers unself-consciously cuddling in bed and singing sweet nothings to each other au naturel gives the movie a jolt of romantic heat. THE FACTS The film: ``Jeanne and the Perfect Guy'' (``Jeanne et le Garcon Formidable'') (unrated). The stars: Virginie Ledoyen, Mathieu Demy, Jacques Bonnaffe. Behind the scenes: Directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau. Produced by Cyriac Auriol and Pauline Duhault. Distributed by Strand Releasing. In French with English subtitles. Running time: One hour, 38 minutes. Playing: Laemmle's Music Hall in Beverly Hills. Our rating: Three stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Virginie Ledoyen is a standout in ``Jeanne and the Perfect Guy.'' |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion