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Love Songs
IFC First Take

Love Songs reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 70 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.5 out of 10
based on 14 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier, Chiara Mastroianni, Clotilde Hesme, and Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet

In the hope of sparking their stalled relationship, Ismael and Julie enter a playful yet emotionally laced threesome with Alice. When tragedy strikes, these young Parisians are forced to deal with the fragility of life and love. For Ismael, this means negotiating through the advances of Julie's sister and a young college student, one of whom may offer him redemption. Love Songs is a modern-day musical told through unforgettable songs sung entirely by the cast. (IFC First Take)


GENRE(S): Musical  
WRITTEN BY: Christophe Honoré  
DIRECTED BY: Christophe Honoré  
RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: March 21, 2008 
RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: France 
LANGUAGE(S): French 

Alternative Title: Les Chansons d'amour

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
TV Guide Ken Fox
The result is a bittersweet trifle one can conceivably fall in love with, and Honore's best film so far.
Read Full Review
83
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Chiara Mastroianni charms here just as her maman, Catherine Deneuve, did in Demy's 1964 classic.
Read Full Review
80
Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
You could describe Love Songs, as a blend of François Truffaut's wistful Parisian sentimentalism and Pedro Almodóvar's acrid polysexual comedy, which were never far apart to begin with (given the difference in climate and native temperament between France and Spain).
Read Full Review
75
New York Post V.A. Musetto
Chiara Mastroianni, whose mom, Catherine Deneuve, starred in Demy's "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964), appears here as Julie's sister. Vive la New Wave.
Read Full Review
75
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Sings in the key of life.
Read Full Review
75
San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand
A surprisingly joyous musical.
Read Full Review
70
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
An attractive and talented young cast brings this graceful film alive in all its tenderness and emotion.
Read Full Review
70
Washington Post Desson Thomson
Yes, it's weird. But it's wild card weird, with that thrill of never knowing what's coming next or when these Parisians are going to get musical on us.
Read Full Review
70
New York Magazine David Edelstein
Honoré has proven you can make a movie musical in which style doesn’t upstage content--a movie musical that blossoms from the inside out.
Read Full Review
70
Variety Jay Weissberg
Likeable film doesn't measure up to helmer Christophe Honore's previous "Inside Paris," stumbling a bit in capturing the genuine grief that sits at its heart, though once again his feel for family is unerring and some of pic's greatest charms come from the warmth they inspire.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times A.O. Scott
The girl-boy-girl threesome, which turns out to be short-lived, is perhaps the most straightforward emotional configuration in this odd, witty, touching film.
Read Full Review
67
The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
Love Songs is definitely daring, but too much of it seems calculated to lead up to a final line about how to guard against grief.
Read Full Review
60
Village Voice Scott Foundas
That Honoré knows a lot about movies is beyond question--but from first frame to last, Love Songs stays as icy to the touch as Julie's premature corpse.
Read Full Review
50
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
So French you may have to buy your ticket in euros, Christophe Honoré's musical trifle feels ready-made for emotionally woozy undergraduates.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jack M. gave it a10:
Romance, scenes of Paris, beautiful songs, and a tango of love affairs, what more could one want in a film? I have wanted to see Louis Garrel in scenes like this ever since Bertolucci's The Dreamers kept him from the full embrace with Michael Pitt. The interplay of Thanatos and Eros is moving, as well.

Richard V. gave it a9:
Charming, modern and refreshing.

Prudence K. gave it a10:
I thought this film was pretty cool. I liked it. Louis Garrel probably gives the greatest performance of all time. Nothing special, but you know. I really loved it. It was so cool! I liked it a lot. I liked when they kiss. The two guys. They were cute. It was cool. I really enjoyed it. It was pretty cool.

Len W. gave it a10:
A sweet, charming mini-musical that takes all the cliches of French romance and gives them a little twist. If you enjoy the films of the nouvelle vague and pop music that recalls the Gainsbourg era, you'll appreciate LOVE SONGS. At turns goofy, tragic, melancholy and sexy, it's not for everyone, but I suspect those who like it will end up loving it...

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
Great actors, innovative director, superb movie!

Prudence K. gave it a10:
I thought this film was pretty cool. I liked it. Louis Garrel probably gives the greatest performance of all time. Nothing special, but you know. I really loved it. It was so cool! I liked it a lot. I liked when they kiss. The two guys. They were cute. It was cool. I really enjoyed it. It was pretty cool.

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