Comments on: Eleven French Films for People Who Hate French Films

By: Postie

Postie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:25:09 +0000

I'm missing Taxi, one of the best comedies I've ever seen.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:06:35 +0000

C.R.A.Z.Y. Is a pretty funny comedy from Quebec.

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:22:04 +0000

District B13

One of my favorite movies.
David belle, the creator of parkour, is amazing, as is parkour.
And that movie haha.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:58:42 +0000

District B13 for sure. I imagine it’d go a long way to override the “coward” stereotype. David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli are complete badasses. :D

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:28:20 +0000

Honestly, I think movies like “Jules et Jim” and “Jean de Florette” are just as easy for Americans to swallow as classic U.S. flicks. The problem is that they’ve been mentioned so many times AS classics, everybody assumes they must be a) boring and b) weird.

While a movie involving a long and intense rape (“Irreversible”) doesn’t exactly scream “fun” at me, I must say that “Delicatessen” and “City of Lost Children” do.

I’m the world’s biggest “Amelie” fan, and I love “Brotherhood of the Wolf” and “Leon.”

By: chuckles

chuckles — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:12:23 +0000

You forgot Luc Besson’s Angel-A.

By: Chris Mower

Chris Mower — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:05:05 +0000

The list is incomplete without ‘37°2 le matin’, otherwise known as Betty Blue. Definitely in
my all time top 10 French films.

By: Mathieu Lalonde

Mathieu Lalonde — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:02:14 +0000

Irreversible… worst movie ever.

There’s two hours of my life i’ll never get back…

By: Kevin Gustafson

Kevin Gustafson — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:04:24 +0000

Interesting, I thought the list would be made of films with lots and lots of nudity because we Americans like what Europeans take for granted. Brian, I was under the impression that New Wave is what people hate when they think of French Films. I love Elevator to the Gallows but its more of a Hitchcock story and has a clear ending. I think people hate movies like the 400 Blows or films by Jean Luc-Godard. That doesn’t include me by the way.

By: Nick C

Nick C — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:50:02 +0000

I think Rififi is a French classic that Americans could love. Americans do love their heist
flicks, after all. Plus it was directed by an American!

By: Zach

Zach — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:07:00 +0000

Just a quick note. The Strangers was actually filmed before Them. It was supposed to release ages ago, but was pushed back about a year for some reason. So really, neither of them are really copying the other, it’s just odd that two movies almost exactly the same came out around the same time.

By: Mister Hand

Mister Hand — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:26:02 +0000

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT doesn’t make the list? I would have expanded the list to include it.

Also, just saw a FANTASTIC French slasher flick called INSIDE.

Something messed up is going on in France right now, I believe. All the best horror films I’ve seen lately are coming from there. And, as we all know, good horror is born of national trauma.

By: Kevin Carr

Kevin Carr — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:01:16 +0000

Eleven? What’s that… like the French dozen?

By: Homero

Homero — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:39:24 +0000

Not that it’s not a REALLY good movie, but I didn’t think that Leon was really a French film, it just had Jean Reno.

I can’t believe you didn’t add Paris, Je T’aime…as far as I’m concerned it’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen, French or not. Besides, it has Willam Dafoe as a cowboy…how will anyone from America NOT love it?

By: Cole Abaius

Cole Abaius — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:17:44 +0000

I second District B13 and The Day of the Jackal, although it’s good to see Luc Besson represented at least.

The thing that turns me off the most is when I watch French action – it’s usually filled with character development and well thought out storylines, two things that don’t belong in an action flick. I’m really jealous that they can do magical realism, and we can’t seem to get a hold on that one, though.

I’m also pissed that France’s nuclear program is to blame for unleashing Godzilla onto NYC. That’s right. I saw the 2000 remake. Deal with it.