Critic Reviews

• Dave Calhoun, Time Out

  Not a good film by a long stretch, but there's something so harmless about this debut directorial effort (from a script by Aschlin 'Scenes of a Sexual Nature' Ditta) that to pull it apart would be like savaging a child's first attempt at storywriting.

• Don Groves, sbs.com.au

  A bland, unfunny Gallic/English stew.

• Victor Olliver, Teletext

  Director Oudney's great skill is to play a touch on national stereotypes (that's comedy for you) before delving into the heart of her characters.

• Edward Porter, Times [UK]

  The director, Jackie Oudney, gives Bonneville and Duff's scenes a proper romcom glow, but Aschlin Ditta's script resorts to a lot of faffing about to postpone the inevitable happy ending.

• Philip French, Observer [UK]

  The film is clever, funny and emotionally truthful and the parodies of Grimandi's films are deadly accurate.

• Jon Fortgang, Film4

  Sacre bleu! C'est un perky British rom a la com avec un great self-mocking performance by Eric Cantona.

• Wendy Ide, Times [UK]

  The writing - unfunny, repetitive - is barely sitcom standard; the lighting is brutal; the performances desperate.

• Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]

  The result, however, is uneven: lurching from little-Englander spoofery to heartfelt emotionalising and back again - often in the same scene.

• Tim Evans, Sky Movies

  This is a rich, beautifully written exploration of romantic self-delusion. The playing - particularly Bonneville - is assured and the dialogue constantly fires off cracking one-liners.

• Christopher Tookey, Daily Mail [UK]

  The actors give their all, but there's not enough here that's fresh. French Film is plodding and predictable - frightfully English, and not in a good way.

• David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]

  A relationships drama with almost nothing to say about relationships - except that they ain't easy - the only memorable thing about this is a supporting turn by former footballer Eric Cantona.

• Mark Adams, Sunday Mirror [UK]

  An engagingly lightweight romcom.

• , Sun Online

  This is a British film which features Eric Cantona poking fun at pretentious Gallic movies, it turns out to be surprisingly amusing.

• Karl French, Financial Times

  The treatment of French cinema is rather facile, and ultimately this is no more substantial than a half-decent television sitcom, or one of the slight, love-themed sketches in Scenes of a Sexual Nature, writer Aschlin Ditta's previous credit.

• Allan Hunter, Daily Express

  Cantona provides a few bright moments in French Film, a damp squib of a romantic comedy with little in the way of wit, flair or sparkle.

• Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

  This romantic pastiche is rather uneven and corny, but is packed with characters who are thoroughly intriguing. We may not like them very much, but we recognise ourselves in there.

• Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

  Engaging, frequently amusing and surprisingly thoughtful British romcom, enlivened by strong performances from its four leads and a likeable comic turn from Cantona.

Read all 17 critic reviews