The film's structure and resolute lack of closure deeply subvert American expectations of how a movie should be, how a movie should work and how a story is told. But it's worth a look, however quizzical.
Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud (1995)
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Reviews Counted:20
Fresh:19
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: A cerebral attraction blossoms between a dignified, plutocratic former magistrate and the dynamic young woman he hires to record his memoirs. A subdued yet poignant love story from the director of... A cerebral attraction blossoms between a dignified, plutocratic former magistrate and the dynamic young woman he hires to record his memoirs. A subdued yet poignant love story from the director of UN COEUR EN HIVER. [More]
Starring: Emmanuelle Beart, Michel Serrault, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Starring: Emmanuelle Beart, Michel Serrault, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Director: Claude Sautet
Director: Claude Sautet
Screenwriter: Jacques Fieschi, Yves Ulmann, Claude Sautet
Producer: Alain Sarde
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Reviews for Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud
Sautet avoids the pitfalls of the usual May-December romance by eschewing all the cliches.
These are two great actors giving top-notch performances, and the restrained romance they project is fascinating.
It is a matter of great erotic fascination when two people are intrigued by the notion of becoming lovers, but are held back by the fear of rejection _and_ the fear of involvement.
Takes a familiar French story of a May-December romance and renders it with unexpected nuance and uncommon wisdom.
[Sautet's] insights into human nature are revealing, if extremely subtle.
With a fine appreciation for the nuances of polite repression, Sautet makes a quiet, careful study of these two lonely people.
These characters are so realistically drawn that I did not for a minute think I was observing actors, rather I was eavesdropping on real life.
It's one sign of Sautet's success that, though he presents neither character as especially admirable or exceptional, he makes us care about them a great deal.
It glows with sorrowful humor in its look at two people who seem just right for each other but don't have time on their side.
Writer-director Sautet's great achievement is to introduce a world of undefinable impulses; the two actors' great achievement is to step into that world and experience them.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
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