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Roman de Gare

A mystery worth unraveling

By Geoff Berkshire

Metromix
April 24, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Intrigue and romance surround a glamorous best-selling mystery writer (Fanny Ardant), a fan she’s never met (Audrey Dana) and the mysterious man (Dominique Pinon) with connections to them both.

Big question: Does the critical praise this movie received at last year’s Cannes film festival signal a creative turnaround for veteran filmmaker Claude Lelouch?

Catch it: The film’s title comes from a popular French literary genre meant as easy reading for travelers, and Lelouch’s fittingly light entertainment demonstrates why that classification doesn’t have to be a pejorative. Unique casting, gorgeous settings and playful camerawork and editing elevate the simple story.

Skip it: If you love the current trend for trailers and ads to reveal so many of a movie’s surprises in advance. The less you know about this one before seeing it, the better.

Bottom line: “Roman de Gare” succeeds as a mystery, comedy and romance in unexpected ways, with plot twists and character reversals designed to pull audiences in without weighing down the narrative. That gentle touch allows the actors to develop an appealing chemistry that makes the film deeper than its surface pleasures.

Bonus: Lelouch made “Roman de Gare” under the pseudonym “Hervé Picard” in order to avoid scrutiny by the French press during filming.