Review of Le Divorce

Introduction

Kate Hudson as Isabel and King Kong`s main-squeeze-to-be Naomi Watts as Roxeanne star as sisters in this picturesque culture-clash movie from the highly-regarded Merchant-Ivory stable. It`s supposed to be a comedy, and I suppose people whose idea of a good time is marked by a thin smile will have a ball. Frankly I found it tortuous going.

As a character assassination of the French it`s without equal. Roxeanne`s artist husband who leaves her up the duff for his Eastern European girlfriend is un cochon absolue; Isabel hooks up with that standard French stereotype, a roue or vieux homme sale as Harold Steptoe would say. Leslie Caron is the hubby`s vielle chauve-souris mother. Of course, Le Divorce of the title is complicated by hubby`s claim on a valuable painting (not one of his daubs) that dozy Roxy borrowed off her parents.

Ultimately, the payoff is worth waiting for, as it appeals to the nasty side of my sense of humour.

Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing offer support as Roxy and Isabel`s parents, as does Glenn Close as Isabel`s Paris mentor. Stephen Fry and Bebe Neuwirth offer cameos as art experts brought in to value the family`s portrait of St Ursula.

Video

A beautiful, spotless transfer in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen that shows off Paris. Colours are spot on and contrast is excellent.

Audio

An untricksy soundtrack rendered in top-of-the-line Dolby Digital 5.1.

Features

This is a surprisingly bare disc for such a release. I`d have expected gushy electronic press pack material, a couple of yak tracks and god-knows what else but all this comes with are subtitles. I was annoyed by the locked-in "Not For Rental" revenue protection blurb on putting the disc in.

Conclusion

Not a bad movie, but not a particularly good one either. I enjoyed the denouement, but getting there wasn`t as much fun as it could have been. To Ishmael Merchant and James Ivory I`d say stick to the subcontinent, fellers.