December 12, 2011
When it comes to French cinema, there is a particular brand that often dominates our British screens. Since the undeniable success of Amelie, we have seen many that fit into the category of light, charming, feel-goodery films, and Romantics Anonymous is perhaps the perfect example.
Jean-Pierre Ameris’ film follows the romance between Jean-Rene (Benoit Poelvoorde), the director of a failing chocolate making business, and Angelique (Isabelle Carre), a secret master chocolatier, turned accidental sales rep. This however, is no normal romance; it is a clumsy, awkward and fumbled courtship, because as it happens, both Jean-Rene and Angelique suffer from paralysing cases of social ineptitude. As we see the couple struggle – sweaty palms and all – through self-conscious dinner dates and a panic-inducing chocolate conference, both parties gain support and encouragement behind the scenes. Jean-Rene explains his fear of, “pretty much everything,” to his therapist, whilst Angelique is a member of ‘Les Emotifs Anonymes,’ – a support group for people with far too many emotions.
A quick read through of the plot could give the impression that Romantics Anonymous is likely to be a cutesy, cringey love story interspersed with the now-clichéd scenes of therapy sessions. That impression would be false. Ameris succeeds in avoiding all possible squirms with inescapable laughter from the audience – laughter ranging from the appreciative chuckle to the complete, too-loud-for-the-cinema, belly laugh. The humour of the film is made all the more complete by the faultless comic timing of not only Poelvoorde and Carre, but the entire supporting cast.
And yet it is not all chocolates and blunderingly-bought roses. The underlying torment felt by both characters as they are caught wide-eyed in the headlights of everyday exchanges, is considered with the kind of delicacy and compassion that suggests personal experience.
Romantics Anonymous is a, ‘more com than rom,’ romcom, and for anyone who enjoys that heartfelt and feather-light French wit, it really is a no-brainer.
Jean-Pierre Ameris’ film follows the romance between Jean-Rene (Benoit Poelvoorde), the director of a failing chocolate making business, and Angelique (Isabelle Carre), a secret master chocolatier, turned accidental sales rep. This however, is no normal romance; it is a clumsy, awkward and fumbled courtship, because as it happens, both Jean-Rene and Angelique suffer from paralysing cases of social ineptitude. As we see the couple struggle – sweaty palms and all – through self-conscious dinner dates and a panic-inducing chocolate conference, both parties gain support and encouragement behind the scenes. Jean-Rene explains his fear of, “pretty much everything,” to his therapist, whilst Angelique is a member of ‘Les Emotifs Anonymes,’ – a support group for people with far too many emotions.
A quick read through of the plot could give the impression that Romantics Anonymous is likely to be a cutesy, cringey love story interspersed with the now-clichéd scenes of therapy sessions. That impression would be false. Ameris succeeds in avoiding all possible squirms with inescapable laughter from the audience – laughter ranging from the appreciative chuckle to the complete, too-loud-for-the-cinema, belly laugh. The humour of the film is made all the more complete by the faultless comic timing of not only Poelvoorde and Carre, but the entire supporting cast.
And yet it is not all chocolates and blunderingly-bought roses. The underlying torment felt by both characters as they are caught wide-eyed in the headlights of everyday exchanges, is considered with the kind of delicacy and compassion that suggests personal experience.
Romantics Anonymous is a, ‘more com than rom,’ romcom, and for anyone who enjoys that heartfelt and feather-light French wit, it really is a no-brainer.