Paroles et musique (1984)

When Peter, Margaux's American writer husband, leaves Paris in a funk and heads home, she finds herself the single parent of two near teens. She also gets a new assignment at work: to find,... See full summary »

Director:

Élie Chouraqui

Writer:

Élie Chouraqui

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Christopher Lambert, Richard Anconina

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Margaux
Christopher Lambert	...	Jeremy (as Christophe Lambert)
Richard Anconina	...	Michel
Jacques Perrin	...	Yves
Nick Mancuso	...	Peter
Dayle Haddon	...	Corinne
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Charlotte Marker
Dominique Lavanant	...	Florence
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Franck Ayas	...	Elliott
Charles Biddle Jr.	...	Un serveur chanteur chez Gruber
Stephanie Biddle	...	Waitress-Singer
Stephanie Biddler	...	Un serveur chanteur chez Gruber
Nelly Borgeaud	...	Julie
Emmanuelle Boutet	...	Enfant Julie
Laurene Boutet	...	Enfant Julie

Storyline

When Peter, Margaux's American writer husband, leaves Paris in a funk and heads home, she finds herself the single parent of two near teens. She also gets a new assignment at work: to find, sign, and promote new rock singers. She discovers a duo, Michel and Jeremy, and jump-starts their career. Jeremy is attracted to the older Margaux, asserts himself with her, befriends her children, and neglects Michel and the music. The kids go to New York to be with their father, freeing Margaux to respond to Jeremy. Does that relationship have any future? And what of the musical duo?

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Plot Keywords:

single parent | fever | audition | mother | love | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Details

Country:

France Canada

Language:

French English

Release Date:

21 July 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Love Songs

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

7 Films Cinéma, CIS, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Speriamo che sia femmina (1986)

User Reviews

Weak....

"Paroles et Musique" is an incredibly weak film and my score of 3 is perhaps a bit higher than it deserves--even with Catheerine Deneuve in the lead. There are many reasons not to bother with this film--I'll explain them below. But first, a brief outline of the plot. The film begins with Deneuve's husband leaving her and their two kids. What led up to this is uncertain, but he apparently left the country to 'find himself'--whatever that means. After a few months of being very lonely, she begins a VERY brief affair with an amazingly poor musician (Christopher Lambert). As for Lambert, he and his musical partner seem to be bisexuals (though this is not 100% clear--but very, very, very strongly implied) and both decide in this film to explore relationships with women instead of each other and their musical partnership is tested. In the end, the music is what is important and despite some disappointments in love, they'll always have their music together.

This film is one of the least romantic romances I've ever seen. There's practically no chemistry between the two leads and it defies logic that Lambert's character becomes so whiny and stricken with love for her considering they barely know each other. He can't sing, he can't write his music--all he can do is whine and mope about--now THAT'S a great character! And, considering that she IS married and her kids would like nothing more than to see their parents reunited, you can't exactly root for Lambert--especially since their 'love' seems to be mostly glandular. As for Lambert's partner, he, too, has an affair with a married woman--nice guys, eh?! I don't know about you, but guys sleeping with married ladies is NOT what I call romance! The second major problem is that Lambert and his partner are supposed to be wonderful musicians. While both can sing, their voices are incredibly weak and wimpy (like their characters) and their becoming a success seems silly--even in the dismal world of 1980s pop music! It just isn't believable.

The final problem is the ending. Despite the relationship between Deneuve and Lambert being so incredibly brief and obviously doomed, Lambert behaves like an idiot. You feel like yelling 'be a man, you wet noodle' as he stops working and is about to give up his career. And he would have if Deneuve's character had wanted him! Not exactly a tower of strength and manliness! Overall, this is a musical romance with terrible music and poor romance. Despite my loving French films, this is one that is practically impossible to love and I can easily see why, so far, no one else has bothered reviewing it! Soggy and unappealing.