Bicycling With Moliere

France

A popular TV actor attempts to recruit his retired 'friend' to re-stage The Misanthrope. The film is the continuing series of conflicts between them as they try to get a handle on the characters and the play.

Some of this was dramatic, some silly, some asinine. It shifted scene to scene, which gave the film a disconcerting inconsistency. The slapstick wasn't funny. At all. The love interest also fell flat. There were moments during rehearsals when the actors clicked...but they were short and not sustained.

The big problem was that the 'friend' was a total jerk - I found it implausible that the actor would continue to pursue this asshole for the play. It's a classic play...many actors could do it. Nice use of seaside scenery but that's not enough to carry a film.

4