Slowly Learning...

I still need to see the first film, but this sequel of sorts was still great. I'm sure there were little bits that I would have gotten more out of if I had seen L'Auberge Espagnole, but I didn't feel lost. Not only do the French do sequels well, they also seem to do languages well too! Unlike in American movies (where Russian and German WWII soldiers fighting against each other will talk in perfect English), in this movie the people speak French in France, English in England, and Russian in Russia! And if the character doesn't speak that langauge, they don't understand what's happening. Wow, it's almost like the real world...

Classifying this movie I'd have to say it falls into the romantic-comedy genre, but don't let that fool you, it's still a good movie. Watching Xavier wade through his love life (quite poorly) is sad, funny, and inspiring all at the same time. And unlike cheesy romantic movies, the plot seems realistic. Sure it all ends happy in the end, but at the same time it doesn't feel like the end. It's more of a stopping point for this part of the story with still more to come for all the characters involved.

Maybe my nostalgia biased me slightly (taking me back to the times in China living with a mixture of Europeans and being lost in the langauges from time to time, complete with unclear romantic encounters; Audrey Tautou even reminded me a little of Nuria, if she were a little older, wiser, and French), but I don't care. I still loved it. And I think that even if I hadn't had my Beijing experiences I still would have loved it.

RATING: Worth a Full Price Ticket, Worth a Netflix (not sure if you'd find it for rental at the local store)