Western (1997)

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(184 ratings)

A French road movie with an unlikely and mystifying title, Western is actually a romantic comedy-drama from writer-director Manuel Poirier. A charming Spanish shoe salesman, Paco (Sergi Lopez), picks up a Russian hitchhiker, Nino (Sacha Bourdo). Nino steals Paco's flashy car because Nino thinks that… More A French road movie with an unlikely and mystifying title, Western is actually a romantic comedy-drama from writer-director Manuel Poirier. A charming Spanish shoe salesman, Paco (Sergi Lopez), picks up a Russian hitchhiker, Nino (Sacha Bourdo). Nino steals Paco's flashy car because Nino thinks that it will help him find a woman. Paco is befriended by Marinette (Elisabeth Vitali), and they fall in love, but he loses his job. Paco attacks Nino, but the two later become friends. Marinette tells Paco that she wants to have a trial separation before making a commitment, so Paco and Nino take a trip across the French countryside. At a hotel, two women reject the awkward Nino and sleep with Paco. Paco tries to help Nino by canvassing the town's women in a fake poll on their ideal man, but this scheme also backfires. As they continue their romantic misadventures, luck begins to shift from Nino to Paco. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 16 min.
Directed By: Manuel Poirier
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 24, 1998 Wide
Studio: New Yorker Films

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Hal M

Manuel Poirier wrote and directed this film. It won several film festival accolades. Alas, the premiss makes it sound better than it is, since it's not tightly directed or well cast. The plot: Paco, a traveling salesman in France, has his company car swiped by a vagabond named… More
Manuel Poirier wrote and directed this film. It won several film festival accolades. Alas, the premiss makes it sound better than it is, since it's not tightly directed or well cast. The plot: Paco, a traveling salesman in France, has his company car swiped by a vagabond named Nino. This leaves Paco (fired for this) in a small French city where he manages to quickly hook up with a Frenchwoman. True love? Maybe. But she requires a cooling off period. Paco must leave for three weeks, and have no contact with her. At the end of that period, if they still want each other, they resume the romance. Just then Paco encounters the thief/vagabond Nino (but doesn't recover the car). Surprisingly enough, Paco decides to spend the three week cooling off period with this Nino, on the road. Nino is an ill-dressed immigrant from Russia, slight, unattractive, and capable of being quite unpleasant. The two then pass from one small French town to the next (lots of attractive rural footage), encountering local girls who are astonishingly easy to bed. Paco (the one who's supposedly in love with whatsername back in that first town) is quite the babe magnet. Nino does better than he deserves but not as well as Paco. This leads to friction. There's the set-up. We're supposed to be wondering whether Paco returns to his gal but the screenplay loses focus on that original issue so don't expect any satisfying resolution there. Other opinions: Actor Sergi Lopez just isn't hunky enough for his character; and something needs to be done to make Sacha Bourdo's character Nino more truly laughable.