Bon Voyage

 

 

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Une actrice célèbre, harcelée par un maître chanteur, le tue dans un moment de panique. À la recherche d'un complice pour dissimuler le corps, elle appelle Frédéric, un jeune homme amoureux éperdu.
Ce dernier est le coupable idéal lorsque la police retrouve la victime dans son coffre. Commence alors une course-poursuite faite de manipulations, de trahisons et de révélations.
France, comédie, 2003. Durée 115 minutes.
Film mettant en vedette Gérard Dépardieu, Virginie Ledoyen, Isabelle Adjani, Yvan Attal, Gregori Derangère, Peter Coyote.

"Bon Voyage" may be the first in the history of film to consider the Nazis a nuisance. Okay, that may be an exaggeration. But this frothy French film uses World War II merely as a backdrop to play out some odd love tetrahedons, although the film never entirely finishes itself.

Struggling writer Frederic Auger (Gregori Derangere) receives a call from his ex-girlfriend, the famed actress Viviane Denvert (Isabelle Adjani) -- she just killed a man (accidently, she claims). Still besotted, Frederic helps dispose of the body, but ends up arrested for the crime, and Viviane doesn't help him. But several months later, as the Germans invade Paris, Frederic manages to escape prison.

Frederic goes to the overcrowded Bordeux, where Viviane is staying with her new lover, the minister of the Interior (Gerard Depardieu). He also befriends an earnest young assistant (Virginie Ledoyen) who is helping a professor smuggle a secret chemical out of the country. As France falls to Germany, Viviane will learn some hard lessons, and Frederic will figure out what he cares about most.

"Bon Voyage" is a pleasant movie that isn't romantic enough to be a romance, not dramatic enough to be a drama, and not comic enough to be a comedy. Instead it could be said to be a movie about a man getting over a crush on a manipulative actress, and finding out what love can really be about.

But it is quite an amusing movie -- one good scene has Viviane fleeing and throwing herself on the bed, weeping; at the same time, she peeks discreetly to see how the maiden-in-distress act is working. And quite a bit of humor is derived from how many of the French people aren't too concerned about the invasion. Sure, everything will work outself out.

A feeling of grimness seeps into some scenes, such as anything involving the potentially explosive "heavy water," and a few fight scenes involving the Germans. However, the main plot has a frothy flavor. The one problem is the ending -- while it has the basic wrap-up, it feels hasty and quickly tacked on. Especially since we never see exactly what happens to Viviane. It's hinted at, but we never hear or see.

Isabelle Adjani does a marvelous job with the shallow, man-hunting Viviane, the kind of gal who always has another guy lined up to take care of her, no matter what happens. Derangere and Depardieu give excellent supporting performances as the former boyfriend and the jealous present lover, but Ledoyen's character is too earnest and simplistic to seem like more than a convenient love interest.

"Bon Voyage" suffers from a weak ending, but the frothy World War II romantic-dramedy is still a pleasant story. Bon Voyage!

this is one of the best movies i've seen so far this year. i hope ebert & roeper don't forget about it. has some of the best cinematography i've seen in a movie in a while. this is a really funny well-made movie.

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5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyed it
i was pleasantly surprised when i saw this film. it's a world war 2 comedy\drama in french that really entertains its audience. Read more

Published on July 3 2004 by adam

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