Broken English
Broken English
| 22 November 2007 (USA)
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Nora Wilder is freaking out. Everyone around her is either in a relationship, married, or has children. Nora is in her thirties, alone with job she's outgrown and a mother who constantly reminds her of it all. Not to mention her best friend Audrey's "perfect marriage". But after a series of disastrous dates, Nora unexpectedly meets Julien, a quirky Frenchman who opens her eyes to a lot more than love.

Reviews
Angela Peckham

What's broken in this film is the part where there are two believable characters who do something interesting together. This film has trouble with both likability and credibility, perhaps because they seemingly stole their plot from the bowels of a fortune cookie. On the one hand, we're looking for love in all the wrong places. On the other hand, we're loving ourselves in order to be loved. And these tired little anecdotes... just ugh. For her part, the director compounds these weaknesses by not understanding how to flesh out a character. She stereotypes the mother. She mishandles the circumstances of romance. She cuts moments that would have helped with character motivation (see deleted scenes); instead, wasting time on a series of lousy, boring dates that fly from one farce of a scene to the next. Parker Posey's character is the only one that isn't totally flubbed by hastiness. The film takes care in describing the anxieties that can impound a state of 30-something loneliness. The rhythms of being single are incisive, and underscored by a range of thoughtful, sympathetic details. But again, this isn't a vignette or portraiture; it's a full- length feature film that lacks the sophistication to be romantic.

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kshitij (axile007)

Broken English closely captures the trouble faced by a girl in carrying on relationships & her desperation to find someone whom she can marry. The main theme of the story is to try looking for someone who can be your appropriate match or what inputs you need to give in a relationship to make it everlasting. May be the problem which a person is facing are not worth worrying or important. Well coming to the movie, Parker is beautiful, young & independent girl. She had been in many relationships which probably ended up with sex or she fell for someone who is already married ,in short she always end up picking a wrong match for her. What she exactly wanted was some guy who is reliable, caring & ready to be committed. But her continuous failure in relationships freaked her out until she found out that its not only true love that she was expecting from her life. It meant more than that. There are two aspect of relationships. For some people its not more than a casual affair but for others it may means a lot. So its all about picking up a right match for you. Otherwise on a serious note it may lead to frustrating consequences like feeling of failure & insecurity in life. This movie is very well handled in terms of acting and direction specifically. So at least the people who care about sensitive & mature topics should give it a try.

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Roland E. Zwick

Zoe Cassavetes' "Broken English" is a comedy/drama about an attractive young woman who, through her neuroticism and emotional insecurities, keeps sabotaging her own happiness. Even though she works as a manager and troubleshooter at a trendy Manhattan hotel, Nora Wilder doesn't lead what one would call a particularly fulfilling life. Unable to make a lasting connection with any of the men she meets, Nora finds herself drifting from one meaningless encounter to another, a situation that only exacerbates her already deep-rooted fears and vulnerabilities.In its structure, "Broken English" has a freeform looseness that keeps it from feeling over-plotted and contrived. And while there are times when the movie seems to be serving up pretty much the same scene over and over again, Posey's winsomeness and charm make us care about the character. In fact, without her, the movie would be considerably less compelling than it is. She manages to make a likable figure out of a character who might otherwise be seen as excessively whiny and self-pitying. And even though the mood of the film is generally light and playfully ironic, there is some genuine pain in the story as well, as Nora struggles with the very real issues of loneliness, panic attacks and depression.The actress receives impressive support from Drea de Matteo ("The Sopranos"), Peter Bogdanovich, Gena Rowlands, Justin Theroux and Melvil Poupaud, but the movie is Posey's all the way.

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fwomp

Women nowadays don't feel the need to connect with men on a marital plain. And that is pretty much how Nora Wilder (Parker Posey, FAY GRIM) feels her life turning out.Bad date after bad date, Nora leaps headlong upon every man she meets or is set up with (including one horrible blind date arranged by her mother, played by the estimable Gena Rowlands).From meeting movie stars to momma's boys, Nora is sure that she'll spend the rest of her life withering away, loveless and alone. Even her job at an upscale hotel seems headed toward nowheresville. But then she happens upon Julien (Melvil Poupaud), a visiting Frenchman with no reservations about relationships. Their dating rapidly escalates but each holds back their love for fear of losing themselves to the opposite sex.Funny moments occur as Julien's poor English enunciation turns mundane subjects into firecracker discussions. Nora's stress of dating someone she might actually grow to care about leads her to alcohol and her medicine cabinet, needing something to salve her anxiety about how much she's beginning to care for Julien.When Julien finally tells Nora that he has to go back to Paris, it is a hammer's blow to Nora's life. Julien begs her to come with him, but Nora has friends, family, and a job to worry about. So Julien leaves and gives her his phone number "just in case..." "Just in case" happens, as Nora flies with a friend to Paris and quickly learns that she's lost Julien's phone number. Unable to locate him ("His name is like John Smith in America"), she decides to simply enjoy herself while on vacation and scurries about Paris. But when it comes time to leave, she can't. She realizes that she's been staying in Paris only to see Julien again. She remains for a while longer but finally, regretfully, decides to return to the U.S. On her trip to the Paris airport, however, she discovers she's riding the train with Julien, and the two reconnect via happenstance and serendipity.Although schmaltzy and awkward in many places, BROKEN English has that quirky feel to it that makes many of its failings watchable. Parker Posey gives a powerful emotional performance as a woman in conflict with the times and her need to connect with someone meaningful. French actor Melvil Poupaud is handsome, a bit gruff, and just as strange as Parker Posey's character, which makes them play off each other exceptionally well.The pacing of the film is exceptionally slow, however, especially the first five minutes in which all we do is watch Parker Posey put on make-up and look in the mirror five-hundred times; something you should be prepared for. The pacing does pick up in places, but it can get tiresome watching the mundane for just as many minutes later on.

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