Moody Avocado

It is as if you were watching real people rather than actors and it turns out that the protagonist is not a professional actor. The casual racism this French immigrant family suffers is startling and dismaying. It is interesting to watch a woman who works extremely long hours at multiple cleaning jobs, continue to cook and do laundry for her daughter even after she moves out. Being a divorced woman from a conservative country who is an immigrant clearly requires a tremendous amount of strength. We aren't told what the future holds for Fatima but her daughters show signs that they will live very different lives than she is.

So strange. The New York Times called it "lyrical" but I found the beekeeping family's life style completely unappealing. It might have been a peaceful existence but the father of the family is full of rage and has no problem terrorizing his daughters with the threat of an angry outburst. A young German juvenile delinquent comes to live with the family but doesn't speak. Monica Bellucci plays the host of a contest promoting family farming and Etruscan culture which the family enters. All in all, the family would have an easier life if not for the father.

Beautiful-looking but lacking spark. The palm trees and the ocean in the French scenes recall the protagonist's youth in Algeria. Jean Dujardin's character retreats into sullen silence when dealing with his feelings and so the audience has no idea of his thoughts. Unfortunate are attempts to make Marie-Jose Croze look glamourous with clothing and makeup that don't suit her colouring while poor Dujardin seems to wear the same rumpled, ill-fitting suit for the entire movie. I had so many questions about the story that it went beyond tantalizing and became annoying. I'm not even sure that "Cathy" is who she said she was.

Vincent Lindon gives a remarkable performance as a man suffused with grief. It is surreal and very disturbing to watch his encounters with the police, his neighbours and shop keepers which bring to mind the fascist regimes of Europe many decades ago- except that this is modern day France. Firat Ayverdi, as Bilal, has real talent and a lion's heart despite his young age.

George Hamilton is perfectly cast as an elegant,lonely and lovelorn vampire. Susan Saint James is also perfect as Cindy, down to the kitten she has lost and her history of casual, unfulfilling relationships and devotion to psychotherapy. Richard Benjamin is hilarious and the source of subtle humour like his confusion as to how to kill mythical creatures. I would like someone to look at me the way Cindy does after the Count dances with her. I think it is too late for a sequel and I hope no one ever attempts to replicate the magic of this movie. I heard a rumour the movie might be made into a musical. "Children of the night- shut up!"

Clooney is well cast as a superficial and extremely successful lawyer but there is little chemistry between his character and that of Catherine Zeta Jones. There is no detail overlooked here and memorable dialogue in scenes like the one in court with the vacuum inventor. Lots of wordplay worthy of the screwball comedies to which they pay homage.

Amazing and memorable performances by the cast. It sometimes seems not much is happening until the last 15 minutes which delivered an emotional and realistically loving conclusion. Jane Horrocks is hard to watch at times, which speaks to her talent.

The acting makes this a compelling story of a neighbourhood but the mores of this community suggests the story was set in the 1950s rather than the 90s. The movie offers an interesting view of a Mexico City neighbourhood and Salma Hayek's performance is notable for how her character has her youth and optimism destroyed by a choice she makes. Her muted reaction as she crouches on the sidewalk at the end shows how her soul has dimmed.