9 out of 9 people found the following review helpful:

Escape funny

Vincent Smith from NR Hampton Court, 12th December, 2005

2 inter-twining stories about 2 people desperate to escape from responsibilities. The ups and down of thier lives and the colourful characters in and round them. Faced paced and intense, not really for the non french speaker. You must at least be able to read at speed. I advise full alertness. But to a degree as with all good movies the actors faces and movements tell the story. Similar to Invasion Barbarian the Double Cannes winner. But alot funnier.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Less than regal

A Customer from London UK, 16th December, 2005

Dull, visually unimaginative, morbid subject matter, this felt like a particularly depressing episode of Six Feet Under but without the black humour.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Complex and sophisticated

Simon from Bournemouth, England, 26th November, 2005

2 stories in one film, intertwined, with some peculiar editing. It's not perfect, intriguingly the imperfections are what I remember from it. (For example, counting to ten in chinese....) It's long at 2 hours 15, I usually get bored after 90 minutes, I watched this in 2 goes, and had to keep watching to the end. If you're a fan of French cinema, as I increasingly seem to be, then you should watch this.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Customer Review

A Customer from UK, 23rd June, 2008

Badly acted, badly directed, badly edited, and with the most inappropriate soundtrack I can remember. A film entirely devoid of any character with whom you could feel any empathy, it manages to render some major and traumatic events utterly inconsequential. What was Catherine Deneuve thinking?

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eat it - EAT IT

Andrews from from London, 19th January, 2010

If you connect with the stories told in this film then it may turn out to be one of the most memorable you will ever see. A brutal, moving, completely unsentimental (don't be fooled by the cheesy trailer) dollop of truth, presented within this wildly unpredictable, jumpy, often bizarre, totally wonderful stylistic mish-mash. Yes it's long - 2 hours 40 minutes - but frankly I was so entranced by this film I wanted it never to end. When it did end I felt like someone had been tickling my ribs for two hours with one hand, while punching me in the heart with the other. More than anything Kings And Queen made me want to find Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant, scrunch it up into a ball, and stuff it into their mouths shouting 'eat it - EAT IT', until both of them stopped breathing for ever.

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Great movie

Magalex from , 15th February, 2009

French cinema at its best. Offer you something different to watch with lots of different emotions without forgetting the laughters. Mathieu Amalric is just perfect in this role, a great actor!!

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French, Enjoyable, Amusing, Complex

ChrisSW11 from , 12th February, 2009

I really enjoyed this film, and it stayed in my mind for longer than most. It's complicated. In fact, I watched it twice with great enjoyment, in order to understand how the bits of plot interrelate. It's very French, and reminds me a little of Eric Rohmer - it seems loosely constructed (although I'm sure it's tightly controlled) - and there is a lot of discussion. It's made up of two basic stories - a woman's story and a man's story - they are ex-lovers. It's made up of many short episodes grouped together. This film is not for fans of films which are plot driven; you need patience to watch this film. You have to work out where it's going - it's not all laid out for you. But I think it's worth it. Some of the set piece episodes - the gun fight in the shop, the break dancing in the mental health class - are just marvellous. I found the last episode with the man and his ex's son to be so touching and tender. I also think it's well shot, and enjoyed the music and the editing. I'm definitely now a fan of Desplechin, and will watch his other films. For me, however, it was a little too long at 2 hours 15 mins, hence 4 stars.

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Watch if you like absorbing films.

A Customer from Halesowen, 30th July, 2008

I really enjoyed this film. It has considerable depth with sandness and happiness in equal measure. If you like to get absorbed in long films (perhaps watch in two settings) this is for you. I would think this is among the best of contempary French cinema. Recommended

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