[***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 you?ll have. Also in the countryside is Vivian who is now using a minister, who is unaware of the other guy?s criminal record, or more importantly, Vivian?s. 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 it?s just something you need to go with. The deeper it delves into the trouble, the further you?ll 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 Nazi?s. Escapism is what people seek out of the cinema, but rarely are they hiding from real danger. … Expand

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.

Hooks you in from the first frame and never lets go, a wonderful film made for those who really love movies. The score is nothing short of a masterpiece.

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?… Expand

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. … Expand

A thoroughly enjoyable, engrossing farce. Characters meet and interact in totally unexpected, but always believeable ways. A 2 hour vacation.

Highly entertaining story, wonderful production values, and engaging performances from leads Derangère and Ledoyen make this film a real treat. Deft direction from Rappeneau. Notable music from Yared.

A pleasant if somewhat muddled diversion. Incompletely realized as a farce, perhaps by the gravity of its historical setting.

Terrific acting...beautiful photography and direction. Unfortunately, the story is like a third-rate Ken Follett or Robert Ludlum novel and really doesn't add up to much in the end. Does it have its moments? Oh yes. But the lows of the film add up more. I was really looking foward to this one but by the end was very dissapointed with the lack of substance or any real tangible themes. The movie works as 2-hour escapism for sure, but is immediately fogettable. A special note for the score, which is not only Gabriel Yared's best work to date (he has done all of Anthony Mingella's films) but the best I've heard this year. Most people in the audience stayed through the credits just to listen to the score and many commented on it as well. I recently purchased it and must say it is worth seeing the film just to hear the gorgeous music, which sounds like a lost soundtrack from a 1930's or 1940's Hollywood picture.… Expand