By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1.5 cats
Director: Christophe Barrtier
Starring: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu | Clovis Cornillac | Gérard Jugnot | Kad Merad | Nora Amezeder | Pierre Richard
Original language title: Faubourg 36
Country: united_states
Year: 2009
Running time: 120
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948535/
Michael says: “Clearly I have a much lower tolerance for schmaltz when it’s from another country. I couldn’t help think of such films as IL POSTINO, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, and yes, even CINEMA PARADISO while wading through the saccharine, unoriginal, formulaic treacle of Christophe Barratier’s PARIS 36. I’m sure this French fluff was made in the style of the romantic, melodramas of the period, but there was nothing inspired about it whatsoever, and therefore I grew more and more annoyed as the film progressed. I’ll confess, the musical numbers toward the end were entertaining enough, but that’s about all I can say in the positive about this film. Basically a story about a man who struggles to make a name for himself by re-opening and managing a faded theatre so he can win back custody (or at least visitation rights) of his son, PARIS 36 also layers on a forced and tired love triangle and some political overtones of the time. 1 ½ cats.”