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Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (2003)
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:22
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6/10
Theatrical Release:Jul 2, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: Shlomi takes care of everyone. He feeds his grandfather, bathes him and listens to his fictitious stories from World War II. He reminds his older brother to take his medication on time and intently... Shlomi takes care of everyone. He feeds his grandfather, bathes him and listens to his fictitious stories from World War II. He reminds his older brother to take his medication on time and intently listens to his pornographic thoughts. He calms his quick-tempered mother and mediates between her and his hypochondriac father who was thrown out of the house after cheating on her. He looks after his older sister`s twins and makes sure she keeps going back to her husband who can`t tell between the identical babies. And most of all, Shlomi makes sure to make everyone happy by cooking their favorite dishes. Shlomi knows – they’ll eat and calm down. Because his home is a battlefield and Shlomi runs around between everyone, making peace. But no one in the family really sees Shlomi. Even Shlomi doesn`t see Shlomi. Until one day a routine math test arouses the suspicions of Shlomi`s math teacher and school principal. After meeting and talking with him, they realize that a very unique personality is hiding behind this neglected and dormant boy. With their help and the help of Rona the gardener with whom he falls head over heels in love, Shlomi discovers himself. BONJOUR MONSIEUR SHLOMI is a heartening family comedy, a surprising love story, which focuses on the captivating character of one boy blessed with extraordinary cooking talents, who discovers through the power of love that the sky is the limit. -- © Strand Releasing [More]
Starring: Oshri Cohen, Arie Elias, Esti Zakheim, Aya Koren
Starring: Oshri Cohen, Arie Elias, Esti Zakheim, Aya Koren, Yigal Naor, Assi Cohen
Director: Shemi Zarhin
Director: Shemi Zarhin
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Reviews for Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi
Zarhin has a fine ear for dialogue with refreshing directness and loud rings of truth, but he also knows when to let looks speak volumes.
Like its protagonist, Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi is slow to reveal its charms.
The story in director Shemi Zarhin's film proves predictable and a little too delighted with its own quirkiness.
Where writer-director Zarhin excels is in offhanded human comedy -- in the craziness that comes with being a teenager in a house full of lunatics to whom you're related.
An Israeli Good Will Hunting, a feel-good movie about an unassuming teen and the machinations necessary to reveal his hidden genius.
What it's really about is a subject anyone who has ever been an adolescent can relate to: the period when you start to take responsibility for what kind of person you are and what kind of life you're going to have.
Nothing in it -- plot, dialogue or character development -- reaches today's standards of filmmaking.
So much goodness becomes a little wearying over the course of 94 minutes. You wait for Shlomi to take charge of his life, and of course he eventually does, but he almost has to be hit over the head to get there.
Oshri Cohen has such a gentle way about him - it works well for a character that would gladly be the caregiver for the world.
A warm exception to coming-of-age stories that accent the tacky and vulgar aspects of adolescent awakening.
Though its destination is entirely predictable, the warm-hearted picture proves a quite pleasant vehicle for getting there.
Cohen has the inevitable 'liquid eyes,' but he also conveys, through his physical restraint, a kind of immense inner stillness, the spirit asleep within.
For 94 minutes it does quite a nice job transferring the fabulous old chestnut recently desecrated by the Hilary Duff vehicle A Cinderella Story into middle-class Tel Aviv.
Has an easy sentimentality that becomes grating, playing heavily on conventional devices, suffering from lack of risk-taking and an irrelevant poetic refrain that, to be charitable, doesn't translate that well to English.
The moral is muddled, never quite knowing which way to turn, and that hurts this otherwise sweet family tale.
Though Zarhin's humor sometimes veers toward that of the situation comedy (even in Hebrew this can happen; who knew?), spirited performances and a charming, upbeat story make it impossible to dislike Shlomi and his family.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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