Broken English (2007)

Nora Wilder is freaking out. Everyone around her is in a relationship, is married, or has children. Nora is in her thirties, alone with job she's outgrown and a mother who constantly ... See full summary »

Director:

Zoe R. Cassavetes

Writer:

Zoe R. Cassavetes

Stars:

Parker Posey, Drea de Matteo, Gena Rowlands

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Parker Posey	...	Nora Wilder
Drea de Matteo	...	Audrey Andrews
Tim Guinee	...	Mark Andrews
Gena Rowlands	...	Vivien Wilder-Mann
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Irving Mann
Roy Thinnes	...	Peter Andrews
Michael Panes	...	Glen
Justin Theroux	...	Nick Gable
Philip Pavel	...	Front Desk Worker
Melvil Poupaud	...	Julien
Dana Ivey	...	Elinor Gregory
William Wise	...	William Gregory
Josh Hamilton	...	Charlie Ross
Caitlin Keats	...	Jennifer Ross
Russell Steinberg	...	Carl (as Russel Steinberg)

Storyline

Nora Wilder is freaking out. Everyone around her is in a relationship, is married, or has children. Nora is in her thirties, alone with job she's outgrown and a mother who constantly reminds her of it all. Not to mention her best friend Audrey's "perfect marriage". But after a series of disastrous dates, Nora unexpectedly meets Julien, a quirky Frenchman who opens her eyes to a lot more than love.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | love | frenchman | friend | best friend | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, brief drug use and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [United States]

Country:

USA France Japan

Language:

English French

Release Date:

16 July 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Askin ingilizcesi

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$55,198 (USA) (22 June 2007)

Gross:

$955,625 (USA) (7 September 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HDNet Films, Backup Films, Phantom Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sebastien Chenut who appears as one of the french guys in the café and Maud Geffray as the waitress are members of the french duo Scratch Massive who composed and produced the original score for the movie.

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Quotes

Nora Wilder: I'm just trying to figure out if this is supposed to mean something.

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Connections

Referenced in Goodbye Solo (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Shake that"
Written by Nathaniel Hall
Performed by Bam

User Reviews

Paint-by-number independent festival film

Some films seem "long" because it demands the audience's attention at all times, others are so because the audience is bored. "Broken English" falls comfortably in the latter.

I have a feeling, in making Broken English, Cassvetes sticks with "safe" grounds. The topic, the set, and the characters are nothing new to those familiar to the "chick flick" genre. Being an independent film, she could have been a little more bold in her story, but she was too worried about pleasing the judges than the audience.

Instead, it is reduced to a "checklist" independent film. Lead role with obvious personality flaws - CHECK! Cheated by playboy celebrity - CHECK! Man in "sexy" accent - CHECK! Nice guy and gay friend - CHECK! Ethnic representation (Jewish, Hispanic, Asian, etc) - CHECK! Friend has secret psychological problems - CHECK! "Romantic" location for ending - CHECK!

The interesting thing is, the broad brush Cassavetes used to paint the "typical" American woman: perpetual depression, distorted reality, aimlessly looking for "happiness" in the wrong places, fear disguised in a sense independence. Is this the message she is trying to convey?

To sum up, "Broken English" tries to be groundbreaking, or topical, or both. But it ends up being a paint-by-number independent festival film. The distinction comes not from the satisfaction of the audience, but from the tick marks on the judges' evaluation forms. I hope films such as "Broken English" is not indicative of the trend in independent film making, but I am probably wrong.