Moliere (Moliere ou Le comedien malgre lui) (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Ross C

  
  Entertaining period comedy with beautiful sets and engaging acting. It tells the story of French playwright Molière's early days, as if they were indeed as farcical as his plays. C'est très drole!

• William D

  
  [size=3]"Moliere," starring French dreamboat [b]Romain Duris[/b] as the legendary 17th-century playwright himself, is wonderfully funny and intelligent from first moment to last, all with a light joie de vivre that seems to be part of the French DNA.[/size]… More
  [size=3]"Moliere," starring French dreamboat [b]Romain Duris[/b] as the legendary 17th-century playwright himself, is wonderfully funny and intelligent from first moment to last, all with a light joie de vivre that seems to be part of the French DNA.[/size] [size=3][img]http://www.canoe.com/divertissement/cinema/entrevues/2007/04/09/molposter.jpg[/img][/size] [size=3]I have heard grumblings from some critics who say that the film is simply a recapitulation of one of Moliere's plays. I can't comment on that, as I haven't read any of his work. What I do know is that this film is gorgeous, heart-felt, superbly acted and directed, surprising, witty and overflowing with life. I recommend it to anyone, except [/size][size=3]maybe to Moliere scholars, who presumably have seen it all before.[/size] [size=3][img]http://www.sep7.ca/local/cache-vignettes/L520xH347/moliere2-e948d.jpg[/img][/size] [size=3]The plot surrounds Moliere being rescued from debtors' prison by an extravagantly wealthy merchant named Monsieur Jourdain, who is striving to win the heart of a young, beautiful, well-educated Comtesse. Since he is married, this Comtesse would be his mistress. (The tradition of the mistress in France is like nothing we have in America. In France it is almost presumed that a married man would have a mistress -- or more recently, a boyfriend. Vive la France!)[/size] [size=3]Jourdain, who is hilariously played by [b]Fabrice Luchini[/b], [/size][size=3]is hoping to captivate the ravishing Comtesse by writing a play that will impress her. [/size][size=3]Moliere is to move into Jourdain's immense chateau and tutor Jourdain without his family knowing. Moliere is to masquerade as a priest come to protect the soul of Jourdain's youngest daughter. [/size][size=3]Watching the ribald, devilish Moliere attempt to lead prayers was priceless.[/size] [size=3]Complexities emerge when Moliere falls in love with Madame Jourdain and the erotic adventures of Jourdain's older daughter come to light. The local aristocrat also brings his own intrigues. Woven through all of it is the struggle within Moliere himself to trust his talent in all its oddness. When he tells the artistically minded Madame Jourdain that there is no such thing as comedy with philosophical depth, her response is simply and powerfully, "Then invent it." Would that all young artists had a Mme. Jourdain to inspire them.[/size] [size=3]He does come to believe in himself, and nearly 400 years later we're still talking about him. That's pretty damn good.[/size] [size=3]I'm sure anyone who sees this film will enjoy him or herself immensely. But I can't say it's a superior artistic accomplishment. Formally speaking, it's run of the mill. It stays completely within the established conventions of modern mainstream cinema. It doesn't show even the slightest bit of interest in charting new territory, formally or even thematically. It's a delight, but no one would call it artistically audacious. Thus I cannot rank it higher than an 8.[/size]

• Mark A

  
  As someone else said somewhere, magnifique! This was like watching a Moliere play. All of the elements he later used are here. The actor disguised as a priest. The dilletante husband. The beautiful wife. The tutors for every subject then in vogue. The daughter who secretly loves the… More
  As someone else said somewhere, magnifique! This was like watching a Moliere play. All of the elements he later used are here. The actor disguised as a priest. The dilletante husband. The beautiful wife. The tutors for every subject then in vogue. The daughter who secretly loves the boy next door. The servants who turn a blind eye to the shenanigans around them. It's all there. As was shown at the end, after Moliere toured the countryside for many years, he returned to Paris and staged the comedic plays that this movie posits he lived during the historically unexplained absence of two years. Watch this and you may learn more about Moliere and his plays than you realize.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Moliere" starts in 1658 with playwright and actor Moliere(Romain Duris) leading his acting troupe to a triumphant return to Paris after perfomring throughout rural France for years but he aims to do more serious plays than his usual farces.(So, I guess… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Moliere" starts in 1658 with playwright and actor Moliere(Romain Duris) leading his acting troupe to a triumphant return to Paris after perfomring throughout rural France for years but he aims to do more serious plays than his usual farces.(So, I guess you could say he was a 17th century Woody Allen, minus the space aliens.) 13 years earlier, he was not so fortunate as he was arrested for debts unpaid but is rescued by Jourdain(Fabrice Luchini), a wealthy merchant, who assumes his debts in exchange for his theatrical coaching to win the hand of Marquise Celimene(Ludivine Sagnier). At the first opportunity, Moliere makes a break for it but is simultaneously deterred by a very large dog and enchanted by Jourdain's wife(Laura Morante)...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Moliere" is a misguided and awkward attempt to explore the creative process. Well, at least it looks great. Maybe, it would have helped if I knew more about the life and works of Moliere. What I can sense is that he was some kind of comic genius. Ironically, the film is at its weakest when it tries to be funny while the serious parts are not half bad, as long as they are allowed to maintain some kind of momentum. Under such conditions, a good cast can do little to help. Ludivine Sagnier comes closest to succeeding but even Laura Morante cannot shine with material like this. And it is especially strange considering Fabrice Luchini was on similar ground several years back in "Beaumarchais the Scoundrel."[/font]

• William G

  
  Perpetually enjoyable for all its familiarity. Entire cast helps take up the slack.

• Marion R

  
  It was just okay

• Daisy M

  
  Moliere was a nice, gentle, warm comedy, with moments of great hilarity and sadness.The original idea of the movie was quite seducing, showing us part of Molière's life as if he were in a Molière's play. This fictional biography was what Molière had meet in his youth and… More
  Moliere was a nice, gentle, warm comedy, with moments of great hilarity and sadness.The original idea of the movie was quite seducing, showing us part of Molière's life as if he were in a Molière's play. This fictional biography was what Molière had meet in his youth and all the characters he used as figures to his future plays. I found the film a little long for what's it's worth. Some scenes were not needed and still they last forever and some unfunny situations were too long revealed. Example the love story of the daughter of the family, was predictable and boring. This film is not for everyone, but if you like French humor and a little romance you really can't go wrong with Moliere.

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