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Movies / On DVD / Broken English
Broken English

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Broken English (2007)

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64 %
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Reviews Counted: 70

Fresh: 45

Rotten:25

Average Rating: 6.3/10

Consensus: Though Broken English eventually settles into basic rom-com territory, it’s pleasant and good-natured, and Parker Posey is spellbinding throughout the movie.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some sexual content, brief drug use and language

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:2007

Box Office: $818,674

Synopsis: Known mainly for playing quirkily comic characters, Parker Posey shows she can tackle a serious role just as skillfully in Zoe Cassevetes's moving film. BROKEN ENGLISH stars Posey as Nora Wilder, a... Known mainly for playing quirkily comic characters, Parker Posey shows she can tackle a serious role just as skillfully in Zoe Cassevetes's moving film. BROKEN ENGLISH stars Posey as Nora Wilder, a thirtysomething whose disastrous dating experiences in the Big Apple have put her on the verge of giving up all hope when it comes to love and happiness. Constant comparisons to her best friend Audrey's (Drea de Matteo) seemingly perfect marriage, and her overbearing mother's (Gena Rowlands) fixations on her single status wear on Nora, making her vulnerable to even the slightest hint of male attention, like the advances she gets from a sexy and famous actor (Justin Theroux) who begins bunking at the chic hotel where she works. After a string of equally failed attempts, Nora starts to wonder if there's something wrong with her. It's at this ultimate low when a visiting Frenchman (Melvil Poupaud) swoops in with charm and aggressively woos Nora, who, despite being filled with reluctance, cannot shake the feeling that this one might be different. Posey displays palpable desperation and convincing loneliness as a woman at the age when societal pressure to settle down reaches a peak. While many chick lit titles have tackled this topic, Cassavetes does so with realism and respect. She infuses her film with great sadness but also hope, making Nora a unique character despite her potentially clichéd predicament. Unlike BRIDGET JONES, BROKEN ENGLISH never mocks its heroine. Thanks to fine camera work and especially riveting musical touches, Cassavetes brilliantly keeps the audience in Nora's head at all times, filling viewers with the same doubts that her protagonist has, and making us guess what the outcome will be until the very last frame. [More]

Starring: Parker Posey, Melvil Poupaud, Drea de Matteo, Gena Rowlands

Starring: Parker Posey, Melvil Poupaud, Drea de Matteo, Gena Rowlands, Justin Theroux, Peter Bogdanovich

Director: Zoe Cassavetes

Director: Zoe Cassavetes
Screenwriter: Zoe Cassavetes
Producer: Andrew Fierberg, Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Release:

Aug 21, 2007

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Reviews for Broken English

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N/R

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Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Broken English surprised me all around: I didn't expect to be particularly impressed with it, and instead it turns out to be not only one of my favorite films I've see this year, but it will probably earn a spot in the all-time annals for me.

Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com | comment Comment
08/22/08
Heather Huntington
ReelzChannel.com

How Posey's neurotic, self-destructive heroine finds her way to healing is the core of this generous film, whose moral is that happiness can't begin unless you're open to its possibility.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/03/08
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Posey's admirers will experience a sensual intoxication that fans always experience when their film goddesses are at their very best.

Full Review Source: New York Theatre Wire | comment Comment
11/22/07
Brandon Judell
New York Theatre Wire

This isn't the best independent film we've seen starring Miss Posey, but she is the reason this one works.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
11/21/07
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

a tired retread of Sex and the City, with all the same preoccupations and issues but with none of the fun

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/15/07
Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
08/18/07
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
08/18/07
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

When Nora decides to take yet another risk against her better judgment, the film leaves to you to judge it as quixotic, vexing, or fitting.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
08/16/07
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

You might be a little surprised or at least amused when the caustic, tired, joyous, frantic roller coaster stops.

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
08/10/07
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

A likable but wan romance.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
08/09/07
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Ultimately, the only wisdom you leave with is the implausibly wise pocket philosophy gleaned from romantic strangers on the streets of an idealized France.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
08/09/07
John Thomason
Orlando Weekly

...neither the story nor the well-acted characters quite engage our interest or sympathy.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/08/07
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

...eventually jumps the shark by failing to consider a major character's professional competence

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
08/03/07
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Parker Posey is game in 'Broken English,' although the limited conception of her giggly insecure Nora Wilder is too thin for ninety-six minutes.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/02/07
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Posey gives a committed performance, and Justin Theroux is good as an overindulged movie star. But almost nothing that's said or done here is convincing. And the energy is set at near-coma level.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
07/27/07
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

Filmmaking is a family affair for the Cassavetes, and Zoe inherits the unpretentious, performance-driven style from her father, John, while delivering a love story that's accessible enough for mainstream audiences, a trick learned from her brother Nick.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
07/27/07
Peter Debruge
Miami Herald

Zoe Cassavetes' new film Broken English is a delight, and as a debut film shows that we can expect good things from her.

Full Review Source: Movie Magazine International | comment Comment
07/22/07
Moira Sullivan
Movie Magazine International

Cassavetes supplies no easy answers or easy laughs, forgoing romantic-comedy beats in respect for Nora's desperation. Call this confection a romantic-dramedy with humor on wry.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/20/07
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's pretty clear where this is going from the first frame, though Posey's performance does keep you interested.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
07/20/07
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
 
 
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Latest News for Broken English

August 21, 2007: RT on DVD: The Lives of Others, RoboCop 20th Anniversary, and More Out Today
It's Tuesday, and you know what that means. New DVD releases! This week we have 2007's Best Foreign Oscar winner The Lives of Others, a Serenity Collector's Edition, and other... More...

July 07, 2007: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

June 21, 2007: The quirky female friendship between the irresistible combo of Parker Posey and Drea de Matteo oddly upstages the designated romance in the movie. Opens in new window
More...

June 21, 2007: Critical Consensus: "Evan Almighty" Is All Wet; "1408" Is Worth A Visit; Jolie Shines In "A Mighty Heart"
This week at the movies, we've got Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman in the big-budget Bible comedy "Evan Almighty"; John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in the haunted... More...

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