I read the reviews on iIMDb before watching the movie so that I knew what to expect, and, thus, I was not disappointed. One very positive thing about it is that it was not boring. In addition, thanks to my local public library, I saw the movie for free (unless I count the thousands of dollars I pay each year in property taxes that go to my local school and library system).Therefore, I gave the movie 7 out of 10 points.

French film "The Girl from Monaco" begins on a promising note with renowned actor Fabrice Luchini flirting with an older woman. He is unaware of the fact that this innocuous action is being watched in detail by a bodyguard whose services have been provided to him without his knowledge. This is just the commencement of a series of zany adventures involving unusual people namely a fun loving lawyer, a dedicated bodyguard and a promiscuous yet charmingly nubile weather woman. Although the title mentions the word 'Monaco' there is not much description of Monaco and its casinos. The film runs at a normal pace but gains momentum within second half when innocence is replaced by cunning. It is at that point some surprising elements are introduced to make the film appear interesting. Director Anne Fontaine has made quirky films in the past but 'The Girl From Monaco' is completely different from all her films. It tries hard to be a serious film but remains a comedy in essence. It is a film which one can watch with friends in order to have some good moments of entertainment.

The story does not make any sense.It seems like the author has just put together disparate ideas for a style exercise - "If we get Fabrice Luchini we can make people think it's a comedy and then they will be surprised it is not".But it is not anything else either. Why would a reality show person impress so much a lawyer who is supposed to be world savvy? Because he thinks he plays in a comedy?Then apparently the only reason it turns to drama is because he has sexuality issues (as the bodyguard in the film puts it - apparently he never had sex before).And the real drama is the bodyguard's character - but for reasons that are left in the dark.....In the end I felt a sense of waste of time and (production) money. Not even the beautiful landscape and colors manage to salvage anything of the lack of meaning of the movie. Making a mess with nice music and colors (Monaco) to make it seem it has sense (and style) it's not what a movie is supposed to be about.

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!! I've been going to the French Film Fest at Lincoln Center for many years now, and this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen there. I am a huge fan of mysteries and this movies is filled with them, but not one of them is ever resolved. Note - There are major spoilers coming up.1. Stephane Audran looks fabulous, but did she or didn't she? A lot of the movie centers on her trial, and she is found guilty, but it's not ever clear what her motivation is (and the lame excuse mentioned might have worked for Dirk Bogarde in the 60s, but in 2009?) And she's a total cipher throughout.2. Several lines are uttered during the movie that seem like they're going to be clues, but are never mentioned again. They stick out like foreshadowing, or Hercule Poirot "Aha!" moments but go nowhere.3. The weather girl parties hearty and is a real good time gal, with a whole group of friends her own age, but falls in love with a nebishy older lawyer. Is she trying to compromise his case? maybe in a different movie written by a better writer.4. Does the body guard love the lawyer? The weather girl says yes, but since he's a total cipher (lots of them in this movie), we never know.5. Why does the lawyer take the blame at the end? 6. Why make this movie?