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La Petite Lili

EMAILPRINTFirst Run Features

La Petite Lili reviews
59
8.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 1 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama  |  Foreign

Written by: Julien Boivent
Claude Miller
Anton Chekhov (play The Seagull)

Directed by: Claude Miller

Release Date:
Theatrical: November 12, 2004
DVD: August 23, 2005

Running Time: 104 minutes, Color

Origin: France / Canada

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Nicole Garcia, Bernard Giraudeau, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Ludivine Sagnier, Robinson Stévenin, Julie Depardieu, Yves Jacques, and Anne Le Ny

Ludivine Sagnier stars as Lili, the love and muse of an idealistic young filmmaker named Julien. At odds with the serenity of the breathtaking French countryside, Julien rebels against his mother and her guests, while multiple intrigues of lust and power play out behind the scenes. (First Run Features)

What The Critics Said

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...

88

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Miller's quiet artistry is at its peak, and though "Lili" is not as subtle, profound or moving a work as Chekhov's play, it's an intelligent, first-rate piece of cinema.

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80

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

It's the third feature Miller has shot using lightweight digital video cameras, and the result is a special lightness in the work itself -- the glowing images ease into one another like leaves turning in a summer breeze, while the performances are similarly effortless.

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75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The third act departs from Chekhov and is original with Miller; it not only makes a nicely ironic point, but, because he takes his time with it, allows for a meditation on the distance between art and life.

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75

Miami Herald Marta Barber

There's something to be said about an old story given a new ending -- and making it work.

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75

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Splendidly acted and directed.

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70

Variety Derek Elley

Works as both an adaptation and a movie in its own right

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60

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

La Petite Lili isn't conventional or crowd-pleasing enough to appeal to audiences who like their foreign films safely sentimental, but it's also not daring enough for those who expect art to hurt a little.

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60

The New York Times Stephen Holden

For all its spikiness, there are hurdles that La Petite Lili cannot overcome. Abridged and abbreviated, Chekhov's leisurely philosophic reflections evoke a musty aroma of pressed flowers in a scrapbook that is out of tune with the times.

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60

TV Guide Ken Fox

The film is, in fact, an adaptation of Anton Chekov's "The Seagull." This provenance also explains why there's something slightly old-fashioned about the whole business.

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60

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

La Petite Lili itself is pretty good, but it is also assured to the point of glibness.

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50

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Miller takes Chekhov's themes and checks them off, but he never gets under his egocentric characters' thin skins.

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50

Chicago Reader Richard M. Porton

Miller and coscreenwriter Julien Boivent have a gift for aphoristic, if glib, dialogue, and Nicole Garcia and Ludivine Sagnier do their best to flesh out hopelessly one-dimensional characters.

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42

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Because the talk never gets beyond statement making, and because the characters emit none of Chekhov's radiantly lived-in soulfulness, there's plenty of time to appreciate the sun-kissed landscape.

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38

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Viewers are left wondering just why they should care about them and the rest of the film's one-dimensional characters.

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30

Village Voice Melissa Anderson

True to Chekhov's dictum, a gun does fire near the end -- by which point eye-rolling audience members may be up in arms too.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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