X
- 2014
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 33 m
- 2014
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 33 m
Summary Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg (Lindsay Duncan), a long-married British couple, revisit Paris for the first time since their honeymoon in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. During a two-day escapade, diffident, wistful Nick and demanding, take-charge Meg careen from harmony to disharmony to resignation and back again as they take s...
Directed By: Roger Michell
Written By: Hanif Kureishi
- 2014
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 33 m
- 2014
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 33 m
Le Week-End
73
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg (Lindsay Duncan), a long-married British couple, revisit Paris for the first time since their honeymoon in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. During a two-day escapade, diffident, wistful Nick and demanding, take-charge Meg careen from harmony to disharmony to resignation and back again as they take s...
Directed By: Roger Michell
Written By: Hanif Kureishi
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 Critic Reviews
73
79% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
21% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 Critic Reviews
73
79% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
21% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
They are two intelligent, sophisticated people searching for the spicy condiment they need to keep their relationship fresh during a bittersweet weekend in Paris, and, like the film that frames them, they are smart, substantial and enchanting.
Director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill") has the good sense to step back and let Broadbent and Duncan work their magic on Hanif Kureishi's script. They don't disappoint.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 User Ratings
7.0
66% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
28% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 User Ratings
7.0
66% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
28% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
A charming, and affecting look into an elerly couples eventful weekend in Paris. Lindsay Duncan is absolutely phenominal, she demans screentime, and she delivers a performance that is believeable, smart and and heartfelt. dr Paris has never looked this wonderful, and the score makes it feel like you are walking beside them, laughing with them, arguing amongst them. Well worth it!
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This is a romantic drama film, with comedy elements and it contains themes including philosophy, marriage, jealousy and friendship. I found it quite amusing from the start - not uproariously hilarious or anything like that but moderately amusing, yes. I found myself feeling endeared to Jim Broadbents character, Nick - being prone to blunders and being very grumpy, somewhat similar to Victor Meldrew (although ok, maybe not quite THAT extreme!). Watching his frustration come out through finding out things haven't gone so well regarding his planned accommodation in Paris, with the French trying to help him out, I could imagine how irritated I may have been, had I been in his situation. Suffice to say, there is definitely a presence of dry wit in this film.
The film features some nice shots of Paris - the city centre, the Eiffel tower, aerial shots of the city etc. I reckon that most married couples who have gone through a stage when they feel that they may be drifting apart, or/and that they wind each other up moreso than enjoy each others company, will be able to relate to this film, to one extent or the other. I've never been married but I enjoyed it more than I'd, realistically, expected to.
Cast wise, other than Jim Broadbent as the slightly miserly, somewhat stubborn Nick, Lindsay Duncan plays Meg. She is not afraid to counter Nicks barbed comments and the two of them do somewhat 'bounce off each other', wit wise. There are some particularly amusing examples of her dialogue, such as when she asks Nick 'why do you have your constipated face on?!' clearly there's someone who knows him all TOO well lol!. Joking aside, you can see there is a chemistry between them on screen but they do also, of course, wind each other up something rotten as well!. I liked that it seemed we, as viewers, were being given a glimpse in to them attempting to relive their younger years in slightly later life - there's something quite uplifting and positive about it, which makes us hope that things can work out well for the two of them ultimately. Those two aside, other cast members include Jeff Goldblum as Morgan - an old, well to do friend of Nicks who they bump in to and who invites them to an event.
Content wise, the film contains ocassional quite mild sex references, an instance where blood is shown in relation to an accident but its not very frightening and some strong language is used. Characters are shown drinking and smoking but its not depicted in a particularly postive, or glamorous, way as such - its mostly a quite mundane film, as far as the tone is concerned. Surprisingly, it was given a 15 rating in the UK, which seems a little strong in my view and I can only presume is down to the few swear words.
The music played during this film is quite remiscent of the sort of tinned music you sometimes hear in hotel elevators and the like - light piano based tune, slightly jazzy ones, I suppose to go along with the whole romantic element of Paris. It isn't a particularly stylised film a la Woody Allen or that sort of thing but I found it surprisingly entertaining all the same - if anything then probably because it doesn't take itself too seriously and it isn't overly stylised (to a point of pretentiousness).
I'd recommend this film as I found it quite funny and entertaining, with a good cast, good cinematography, a good use of music and overall an enjoyable watch.
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Don’t be fooled by Mr. Broadbent’s genial sarcasm, Ms. Duncan’s warm smile or the literary felicities of Mr. Kureishi’s script. This is not a movie about the gentle aging of lovable codgers.
The film is imbued with an engaging mix of warmth and prickliness by the lovely, lived-in performances of Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan.
Goldblum is always best at being Jeff Goldblum, and his
oily/silky charm tends to unbalance the neat, brittle little tragedy we’re
watching.
Michell's is a film with somewhere to go -- and that journey is one well worth taking.
Le Week-End is a sour and misanthropic film masquerading as an honest and sensitive romance. A painful and unremittingly bleak look at a difficult marriage, it wants us to sit through a range of domestic horrors without offering much of anything as a reward.
This is "Before Midnight" for the retirement-age set. Unlike the couple in that other film, Nick and Meg don't shriek incessantly at each other about all the things they've been pissed off about for 8 or 10 years. Rather (because they're older? More rational? English?) they pick at some well-worn weaknesses as they also mull over their marriage and their respective lots in life. And as they companionably gad about In Paris, which of course makes it more entertaining. This is the kind of role Jim Broadbent so often plays to perfection, and Lindsay Duncan also is great as an older woman trying to maintain her edge. Jeff Goldblum adds some fizz as a guy who seems like an older version of the funny/annoying dork he played in "The Big Chill." I like the way this film portrays late-in-life complexities ... bleak at times, funny at times: thought-provoking.
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The trailer makes the film looks funnier and more jovial than it is. Instead, it’s the story of a long-time married couple hitting their retirement years, realizing that they might not be a perfect match any longer. It’s slightly uncomfortable in places, but it’s also fun – at least when Jeff Goldblum is on the screen.
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When Nick and Meg revisit Paris for the first time since their honeymoon to rekindle their relationship they find the truth about their feelings for each other may be irreparable. What starts out as a witty Woody Allen-esque comedy of manners takes a turn for the pretentious at the half way mark and doesn't really recover. Lovely performances make it worth a watch but it feels like a missed opportunity.
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LE-WEEKEND truly aspires for depth and relevance but ultimately falls into the easy cliches that we associate with the typical Hollywood RomCom. This is a film that ultimately feels false and forced. You'll never believe for a minute that these two boomers played by Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan have been in the same room together let alone married for over 30 years. As the film plods along from obvious plot point to obvious plot point, director Roger Michell and writer Hanif Kureishi try very hard to makes us believe how "genuine" this all is but their talents prevent them from adding any true insight. LE-WEEKEND is actually more frustrating than a RomCom because it is never engaging, witty or charming, just false at every turn.
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You know how they say a movie can grow on you ? Well, they are right. This movie grew so that I ended up despising it. So boring and pretentious it was, with nothing to say. It was hard to hear (low sound). It was hard to look out, even with gorgeous Paris in the background. I don’t care what the critics say, this movie was a zero for me.
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Production Company
Film4,
Free Range Films,
Le Bureau
Release Date Mar 14, 2014
Duration 1 h 33 m
Rating R
Tagline Nick & Meg are returning to Paris for a second honeymoon... and a last chance.
Awards
British Independent Film Awards
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
San Sebastián International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
London Critics Circle Film Awards
• 1 Nomination
