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34
10,000 B.C. Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
97
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies. |
Bon Voyage
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some violence
Starring Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu, Virginie Ledoyen, Yvan Attal, Grégori Derangère, Peter Coyote, Jean-Marc Stehlé, and Aurore Clément
A sophisticated farce set at the posh Hotel Splendide in Bordeaux at the start of World War II.
| GENRE(S): | Comedy | Drama | Foreign |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Patrick Modiano,
Gilles Marchand (adaptation), Jean-Paul Rappeneau (adaptation), Julien Rappeneau (adaptation), Jérôme Tonnerre (adaptation) |
| DIRECTED BY: | Jean-Paul Rappeneau |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: August 17, 2004 Video: August 17, 2004 Theatrical: March 19, 2004 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 114 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | France |
| LANGUAGE(S): | French (with English subtitles) |
Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Most Promising Actor (Derangère), 2002 César Awards
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
armando s. gave it a9:
A near perfect movie that will appeal to all people who like to watch adult films, as opposed to most of the juvenile crud that Hollywood puts out. The plot is complicated but skillfully executed. The characters motivations and emotions are believable. And the dialogue-it reminds me of some of the old great black and white movies. An elegant movie.
Michael B. gave it a9:
Although 'Bon Voyage' is coy about its genre, structurally it is a classic farce, with multiple storylines zipping and crosscutting with breathtaking speed and amazing coincidences. It is a meticulous, loving recreation of a vanished world. It includes first-rate performances from three established international stars and brilliant newcomer Gregory Derangere. The supporting performances are all highly polished gems, however small some of them may be. The more you know of the history of French cinema, the more you will love this film.
Bill F. gave it a 9:
A thoroughly enjoyable, engrossing farce. Characters meet and interact in totally unexpected, but always believeable ways. A 2 hour vacation.
Dave R. gave it a 1:
The film was absolutely terrible! I can't speak French so don't ask me about the dialogue but the movie was disjointed in places and had no plot. I was bored after 10 minutes of the film and it got worse as the film progressed and I started to yawn and couldn't wait for it to finish. So bored with the plot and there were no laughs at all. There is no ending either in this movie. I was expecting a brilliant comedy which this film has been raved on about expecting something like like "Le Closet" which the I hasten to add this film was compared to by French film critics and is worth a 9 in my opnion for a brilliant comedy, with a story, and loads of laughter. This movie sucks and it deserves a 1. When a film can't stand on its own merits and film critics start to compare it to other films you know it's gonna be bad.
Cameron S. gave it a 7:
[***PLOT REVELATIONS***] Bon Voyage is an enjoyable, farcical roller-coaster ride; an action-adventure/romantic-comedy/war charade of little consequence and high, but little involving fun. It is a film that never takes itself too seriously but never loses its grip on plausibility. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau has constructed entertainment built on a cluttered and muddled, but mostly well-plotted and fun movie that works, mostly. We start with a murder by the promiscuous, conniving movie star, Viviane. After a movie premiere of hers, she is followed back to her hotel to scorn her and retrieve something of his. She shoots him and gets an infatuated fan/ex-boyfriend to take care of the body. He gets into an accident that immediately triggers the police who quickly imprison him. He is sent to jail, but with the war looming close, all the prisoners are released. As the barbarian krauts invade, he retreats to the countryside in search of Vivian. En route to safety, he and a fellow escapee run into a mess with a young girl and a Jewish scientist who need to get hard water to England safely. But out of some sort of bureaucratic loop, are unable to successfully retreat. The plot grows thicker and more preposterous, but never loses its finesse. The more you accept this romanticized melodrama, the more fun youll have. Also in the countryside is Vivian who is now using a minister, who is unaware of the other guys criminal record, or more importantly, Vivians. She is manipulative and uses men until they no longer cease to be needed. I could go on more about the enjoyable time I had, but its just something you need to go with. The deeper it delves into the trouble, the further youll go on the ride. And the less concerned you are with the gravity of it all, the faster the ride will run. How appropriate the last act is, to end in a Parisian movie theatre under German reign, with the manipulative star taking over another unsuspecting man while the nicer characters go into the cinema actually escaping the Nazis. Escapism is what people seek out of the cinema, but rarely are they hiding from real danger.
Alex gave it a 5:
Virginie Ledoyen's Camille was the best thing about this movie. Gorgeous, alluring, good hearted, courageous, devoted. The rest of the movie is a rather savage retelling of the French experience in World War II, filtered through the eyes of an innocent, spoiled, self-indulgent actress. Isabelle Adjani's Viviane is blessed with beauty and, as is the wont of smitten men, praised with virtue; she gets her way by using those around her, and casts them aside when they are of no use. She has no scruples and no compunction whom she uses and to what end. France's situation is seen through her eyes because her collaborationist nature is analogized with France's itself. If we love her despite her faults, it is because we impute virtue to her beauty.
Gregory L. gave it a 9:
Spectacularly entertaining, but with far more moral substance than many mainline critics are allowing. The glittering surface story doesn't obscure remarkable images of refugee desperation on the eve of the Nazi invasion. And the characters, who are playing out their own non-political drama, show us how easy it was to ignore the big picture to satisfy demands of the moment. Isn't that, in part anyway, how the Nazis achieved their first triumphs?
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