Diary of a Seducer

Literate but insufferable, this dispassionately zany tale of a French lothario who seduces women with the aid of a magic copy of Kierkegaard's eponymous volume is the kind of pretentious French movie that reminds otherwise tolerant Americans that 'Evian' spelled backwards is 'naive'. For a movie about obsession that includes such wacky plot twists as a corpse in the refrigerator and a cross-dressing houseguest, it's remarkably staid; and while individual scenes often work beautifully (the ones involving director Daniele Dubroux--more skilled before the camera than behind it, based on the evidence here -- and Mathieu Amalric are especially strong), the picture as a whole is both incoherent and too cute by half. Terrific musical score, though. Not recommended. (M. D'Angelo)