Somewhat reminiscent of Bill Forsyth’s beloved Local Hero, this charming fish-out-of-water comedy by writer-director Dominique Choisy amusingly depicts how a trip through the Norman byways to show his eponymous film changes the life of young director Géraud Champreux (Johnny Rasse). Géraud’s first stop is a modest seaside town filled with quirky characters. Although Sylvia (Nathalie Richard) has invited him to screen his artily homoerotic My Life with James Dean in her cinema, she fails to meet him at the bus stop, and doesn’t even show up for the screening—which only one person attends—because she is in the midst of a tumultuous breakup with her long-time lover (Marie Vernalde), who is considering going off with a businessman. Boyish projectionist Balthsazar (Mickaël Pelissier), however, is so moved by the film that he impulsively professes his love for Géraud, who puts the kid off while trying to resurrect his relationship with the movie’s leading man (Tancredi Volpert). Meanwhile, Gladys (Juliette Damiens), the cynical clerk at the hotel, becomes involved in the wryly funny goings-on, as does Balthazar’s virile father (Bertrand Belin). The result is rather like a cheeky cinematic roundelay, in which the various characters chase after one another—often in the wrong combinations—as Géraud and Sylvia take his film from one small town to another while trying to work out their individual romantic problems. An entertaining and light-as-a-soufflé confection, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)
My Life with James Dean
Breaking Glass, 108 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99, Aug. 28 Volume 33, Issue 6
My Life with James Dean
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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