First of all, I would like to agree with certain individual's thoughts that the roles were not fully fleshed because there is no question that this is applicable in this instance however, despite the fact that we were not given the reasons why the truly dazzling creature Jack had chosen to squander his talents by getting wrapped up in the dangerous business of art theft, there were certainly things that worked in this film. First of all, though not completely credible, it was passionately entertaining and engaging and at the same time that you found yourself despising these characters, you found yourself adoring them almost in the same breath. Well to be honest, I cannot honestly say that there was anything to loathe about any of the main characters and even the elderly lady, was a figure who evoked empathy.
There is no question that this film sizzles with sensuality, which I would honestly have to admit is a larger part of its charm and Dancy is truly included in that interpretation, il est tres beau, qui? First of all, this is shot almost entirely on location and that in itself defies description as Paris is nothing if not dazzlingly scenic. Apparently a number of the exteriors were shot on location in Germany as someone indicated spotting (great eye!) street signs in German throughout the film, still it does not detract from the visual appeal and the rustic shots that we received when Jack whisked Jenny the lovelorn ditsy mademoiselle away to the French countryside, positive perfection and left me longing for a picnic in Provence. So yes, despite the fact that character and script development are not topnotch here, this film works in the respect that it allows you to escape if only for an hour to an exotic place where the scenery is fairytale perfect.
Do I actually believe that a man like Jack could desire a woman like Sarah and do I think that he would choose her over the more than a tad ridiculously irresponsible college girl Jenny? I do not think there is any question that Jack would not want to stay loyal to someone who seemed to care so intensely for him and my greatest problem with that not excluding this guy's inability to control his libido when Sarah left town on her illicit mission, was the fact that he allowed himself to be seduced by some chickadee he had not even known for a week! It is true that Dancy's character Jack is appealing both physically and emotionally, as he seemed incredibly well mannered and sensitive for the most part. So yes, his charm is certainly of the effervescent variety, irresistibly intoxicating however, Jenny only seemed interested in Jack's lovemaking abilities, where were the girl's morals I wondered? It is true that Jack didn't fight her off but I truly believe that the reasons why he pursued Jenny and allowed her to seduce him in one single night, was more of a knee jerk reaction to the fact that he believed Sarah, the woman who owned his heart was cheating on him with a man in Majorca. Let us face it, some people definitely operate on a revenge type basis and whenever someone hurts them in anyway, they are going to make certain that they find a way to get back at that person in whatever way possible. I do believe that Jack was at once remorseful for his actions as it was revealed in the end when he chose Sarah over Jenny. I think Jenny's "love" for Jack was more the first blush of infatuation and from the actions that this girl resorted to in her blind pursuit of Jack, who she pounced every chance she had, reality was never a part of the equation. Before I call this a wrap, let me just say that I think that despite the age difference that exists between Griffith and Dancy, they sizzle like prawns on a grill and definitely bring the heat better than the other pairing. I did not see scorch factor between Jenny and Jack perhaps because it seemed so contrived, like the girl could not resist the man or something! It was a sensationally pivotal moment when Sarah told Jack that he wasn't on a leash or anything. Perhaps, that allowed Jack to see what a mistake he had made in sleeping with some stranger he had only just met. From the tender way Jack was with Sarah before her departure, it looked a lot like love and not a tad like gratitude, which is what I feared at first, for typically when you have the younger man, older woman dynamic, writers tend to paint it as if it's a pact between two individuals who are only together out of desperation. In this film however, it seemed to be about two people who were entirely besotted with each other and I actually would say that the pairing of Jack and Jenny was one of hopelessness, not the other way around and that in my opinion, gave this film its distinctive edge. I think it is about time that people realize that human beings can truly be beautiful at any age, and besides, in the end isn't beauty a totally subjective thing and almost always a matter of the eye of the beholder, n'est pas?
All in all, I would rate this film a C+ for character development and an A- for storyline content, which is why I chose to rate it an 8, for although it is not the best grape in the bunch it is indisputably a far cry from being a Gala sporting bruises besides Dancy seems to have that gift of making anything palatable and in this film, there is no difference. Bon Appetite!
There is no question that this film sizzles with sensuality, which I would honestly have to admit is a larger part of its charm and Dancy is truly included in that interpretation, il est tres beau, qui? First of all, this is shot almost entirely on location and that in itself defies description as Paris is nothing if not dazzlingly scenic. Apparently a number of the exteriors were shot on location in Germany as someone indicated spotting (great eye!) street signs in German throughout the film, still it does not detract from the visual appeal and the rustic shots that we received when Jack whisked Jenny the lovelorn ditsy mademoiselle away to the French countryside, positive perfection and left me longing for a picnic in Provence. So yes, despite the fact that character and script development are not topnotch here, this film works in the respect that it allows you to escape if only for an hour to an exotic place where the scenery is fairytale perfect.
Do I actually believe that a man like Jack could desire a woman like Sarah and do I think that he would choose her over the more than a tad ridiculously irresponsible college girl Jenny? I do not think there is any question that Jack would not want to stay loyal to someone who seemed to care so intensely for him and my greatest problem with that not excluding this guy's inability to control his libido when Sarah left town on her illicit mission, was the fact that he allowed himself to be seduced by some chickadee he had not even known for a week! It is true that Dancy's character Jack is appealing both physically and emotionally, as he seemed incredibly well mannered and sensitive for the most part. So yes, his charm is certainly of the effervescent variety, irresistibly intoxicating however, Jenny only seemed interested in Jack's lovemaking abilities, where were the girl's morals I wondered? It is true that Jack didn't fight her off but I truly believe that the reasons why he pursued Jenny and allowed her to seduce him in one single night, was more of a knee jerk reaction to the fact that he believed Sarah, the woman who owned his heart was cheating on him with a man in Majorca. Let us face it, some people definitely operate on a revenge type basis and whenever someone hurts them in anyway, they are going to make certain that they find a way to get back at that person in whatever way possible. I do believe that Jack was at once remorseful for his actions as it was revealed in the end when he chose Sarah over Jenny. I think Jenny's "love" for Jack was more the first blush of infatuation and from the actions that this girl resorted to in her blind pursuit of Jack, who she pounced every chance she had, reality was never a part of the equation. Before I call this a wrap, let me just say that I think that despite the age difference that exists between Griffith and Dancy, they sizzle like prawns on a grill and definitely bring the heat better than the other pairing. I did not see scorch factor between Jenny and Jack perhaps because it seemed so contrived, like the girl could not resist the man or something! It was a sensationally pivotal moment when Sarah told Jack that he wasn't on a leash or anything. Perhaps, that allowed Jack to see what a mistake he had made in sleeping with some stranger he had only just met. From the tender way Jack was with Sarah before her departure, it looked a lot like love and not a tad like gratitude, which is what I feared at first, for typically when you have the younger man, older woman dynamic, writers tend to paint it as if it's a pact between two individuals who are only together out of desperation. In this film however, it seemed to be about two people who were entirely besotted with each other and I actually would say that the pairing of Jack and Jenny was one of hopelessness, not the other way around and that in my opinion, gave this film its distinctive edge. I think it is about time that people realize that human beings can truly be beautiful at any age, and besides, in the end isn't beauty a totally subjective thing and almost always a matter of the eye of the beholder, n'est pas?
All in all, I would rate this film a C+ for character development and an A- for storyline content, which is why I chose to rate it an 8, for although it is not the best grape in the bunch it is indisputably a far cry from being a Gala sporting bruises besides Dancy seems to have that gift of making anything palatable and in this film, there is no difference. Bon Appetite!