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Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critics What's this?

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  • Summary: My Afternoon with Margueritte is the story of life's random encounters. In a small French town, Germain, a nearly illiterate man in his 50's and considered to be the village idiot by his friends at the local bistro, takes a walk to the park one day and happens to sit beside Margueritte, a little old lady who is reading excerpts from her novel aloud. She's articulate, highly intelligent and frail. Between Germain and Margueritte, there are 40 years and 200 pounds difference. Germain is lured by Margueritte's passion for life and magic of literature from which he has always felt excluded. As Margueritte broadens his mind via reading excerpts from her novel, Germain realizes that he is more of an intellectual than he has ever allowed himself to be. Afternoons spent reading aloud on their favorite bench transform their lives and start them both on a new journey -- to literacy and respect for Germain, and to the deepest friendship for Margueritte. (Cohen Media Group) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. Reviewed by: Richard Nilsen
    Sep 22, 2011
    80
    The film is leisurely paced, as many French films are, and not much actually happens, but as a character study, it feels true, and ultimately moving.
  2. Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Oct 14, 2011
    75
    The larger-than-life actor is as emblematic of his country as Tom Hanks is of ours, and My Afternoons With Margueritte is his "Forrest Gump." Only better.
  3. Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    Sep 16, 2011
    60
    If you could also use some time off, try his gentle new comedy.
  4. Reviewed by: Adam Bernstein
    Sep 23, 2011
    25
    It is a predictable, undernourished love story. We never quite learn why Margueritte feels so close to Germain or why he bothers with her. Characters appear and disappear, without much difference.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Germain (Gerard Depardieu) is not illiterate. He knows how to read and write, but he really prefers not to. For one, he is not very good at reading, he goes slowly and he uses his finger to follow the lines across the page. However, his comprehension is pretty good, especially when someone reads aloud to him. He imagines the scene in his mind and if the reader is describing rats in the street he can see those rats squirming around in enough detail that it makes him uncomfortable. Not being a big fan of reading and not being known as any sort of intellectual at his local bar is just fine by Germain. He is a town handyman, a very capable gardener, appreciates his girlfriend, and is not depressed about his station in life.

    His station isnâ
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