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From my favorite movies..

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Gemma Bovery (2014): Dir: Anne Fontaine / Cast: Gemma Arterton, Fabrice Luchini, Jason Flemyng, Niels Schneider, Mel Raido: Amusing French comedy that takes the classic Gustave Flaubert novel to new heights as observed by the central character, a baker in a small village, played with bewilderment by Fabrice Luchini. His wife is a nag and his son proves to be less than perfect, his attentions spans the farm across the street where a British couple move in. His sights are on the beautiful Gemma Arterton who nearly embodies the creation in the novel. Her husband is much older and frustrated with their lack of communication. Luchini is smitten and nears his infatuation until other suitors appear. Flawed by humour that doesn't always work, and a death scene in the third act that lacks the emotional payoff it needed. Otherwise director Anne Fontaine details a screenplay that balances reality and fantasy effectively. Luchini centres the plot focused on this new neighbour while narrowly working in baking bread and family. Arterton is stunning as Gemma and the camera fixates on her placing viewers in the lustful position of Luchini. Jason Flemyng plays the frustrated husband who doesn't take the news well when she has an affair. Niels Schneider plays a young suitor who steals Luchini's moment when he aids her when she is stung by a bee. They have a passionate affair where Luchini observes from afar in awe. Mel Raido plays an ex-boyfriend arriving back in town in hopes to rekindle their past relationship. Theme mixes literature with reality with a touch of the absurd for good measure. Score: 8 / 10

One of the joys of my cinema-going life is the growing number of female directors (many of them actors, almost all writers) in French cinema. Whilst some - Marian Vernoux, Agnes Jaoui, Nicole Garcia, Danielle Thompson, Valerie Lemercier, etc, have yet to notch up a dozen titles, others such as Tonie Marshall and Anne Fontaine have long surpassed this and there is a temptation to say that Fontaine especially is perhaps a tad too prolific. This take on Flaubert is her fifteenth At Bat (a sixteenth is in Post Production even as we speak) and there are those who claim to detect signs of fatigue. With actors of the calibre of Isabelle Calendier on display merely in support I'm not prepared to write this one off. Like Louis Jouvet Fabrice Luchini is primarily a man of the theatre but like Jouvet he is such a consummate actor that he enhances any film he agrees to appear in merely by signing the contract and so it is here. More than worth a look.

'Gemma Bovery' is a clever re-working of 'Madame Bovary', Flaubert's 19th century literary masterpiece about the amorous adventures of a provincial doctor's wife. This contemporary version begins with a bookish baker observing the arrival of a London couple in his Normandy town. He immediately becomes obsessed with the lovely Gemma, and starts seeing parallels to his favorite novel after he catches sight of her flirting with an aristocratic law student outside his shop. When the doughy merchant deduces the affairs of 'la belle Anglaise' are spiraling towards disaster, he attempts to save her from the sad fate of the fictional heroine, but his interference only increases the complications of her love life.Director Anne Fontaine's film is nicely balanced between comedy and drama, tending towards the latter, although the end product is closer to a fluffy confection than a heavyweight main course. Gemma Arterton's piquant performance in the lead role holds the film together, as her straying spouse remains a sympathetic character despite the infidelities. Their work is complemented by the entire cast - especially Fabrice Luchini who turns in a satisfyingly starchy portrayal of the busybody bread-maker - along with some luscious cinematography of the fertile French countryside and the mouth-watering Ms Arterton.

Let me start this review by saying that I am not remotely familiar with the literature character referenced here many time, so I will just stick with the movie and not relate to the book. It is certainly possible to watch and enjoy this movie that way as well, especially as Luchini's character gives all the information to the viewer that one needs to know to see why he draws that parallel between his new neighbor and the literary character.All in all, I think this is an okay movie, which gets considerably better in the second half. The first half just feel like a cheesy chick flick to be honest with the usual stuff. The main character's dog runs to the new neighbor's dog and that is how they get involved with each other, and the absolute negative highlight of the film: a scene in which Arterton's character gets stung by a bee and Luchini's character needs to open her shirt and suck the poison out of the wound. Other than that the film is all about Luchini. If you know him, he is one of France's most gifted actors these days and easily makes the film. Especially the darker sides of his character are portrayed very well. Gemma Arterton is a good choice for the role and surely fits 100% looks-wise. Unfortunately, though, her character was written with really not much depth. She is just beautiful to look at and always the center of attention of every male character in this film, including Jason Flemyng who gave a good portrayal here, probably the best from all of Gemma's partners. The other two were rather forgettable, especially Patrick who the film could have done completely without.The ending was a bit controversial. I am not sure if I liked that Arterton's character did in fact die just like in the novel, but the fact that it came from the bread made it interesting, just like the fireworks as a huge contrast to her death. The death itself, however, had almost no emotional gravity to me to be honest and that is probably quite a failure. Why did the filmmakers not succeed in making this more impactful? Actually the three men walking next to each other at the funeral afterward, was almost more significant. Another thing I found strange was how the son of Luchini's character trolls his father about the new neighbors near the end. Never during the film I had the impression that neither the son nor the wife were really getting what is going on with Luchini's character, so this felt a bit out of place. The dialog with the new neighbors at the end was awkwardly funny though.Finally, let me say that I would only really recommend this for fans of Gemma Arterton or French cinema. Director Anne Fontaine is known for strong female characters in the center of her movies ("Coco avant Chanel", "Chloe", "Nathalie"), but here I am not so sure about it. I certainly preferred her previous film "Adore".