Broken English

FLICK Parker Posey fixates on her French and does what she does best in Broken English, a romantic-comedy about a woman looking for love in all the wrong places. Posey is perfectly cast as Nora Wilder, who wants a mild relationship with a man but mood swings get in the way. When Nora meets Nick (Justin Theroux), a well-known actor who is also a sexy Mohawk-wearing cad, she swears she won't spend the night with him, until cocktails and low self-esteem take over. Director Zoe Cassavetes enlists her mother, Gena Rowlands, to play Nora's meddling mother who sets her up on a date with seemingly perfect catch Charlie (Josh Hamilton), until he reveals he isn't quite over his ex yet. But the third time creates fireworks when, at a 4th of July party, she meets the handsome Julien, played by French actor Melvil Poupaud whose effortless performance really makes this work. His charisma and sincerity (and big beautiful brown eyes) are almost magical, sweeping Nora and the audience off their feet. Poupaud knows we need to care about him in a short time or the impulse that skeptical Nora feels to become wilder, looking to mend her broken spirit and blindly leave New York to search for him in Paris, would have no pay-off. With a familiar and simple story, Cassavetes, in her debut as director-screenwriter, smartly lets the actors shine as they head toward the City of Light. Screened at 2007 Philadelphia Film Festival where the Jury Award for Best First Film was given to Zoe Cassavetes. My Score: 7.5 out of 10.