Film

Film review: ‘Le Week-End’

Image
Le Week-End opens in theaters on Friday.

Three and a half stars

Le Week-End Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum. Directed by Roger Michell. Rated R. Opens Friday.

If Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy keep making films in their Before series, then they might eventually come up with something like Le Week-End, a small-scale, well-observed drama about a married couple spending a few days in Paris to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Like the Before movies, Le Week-End mostly involves Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg (Lindsay Duncan) engaged in conversation, sometimes playful, sometimes loving, sometimes antagonistic. Broadbent and Duncan have a wonderfully natural chemistry, and director Roger Michell shoots them in a casual, almost offhand way that gives the movie the feel of a glimpse into something very private. Things go a bit astray in the middle, as the couple attend a party thrown by a pompous associate (Jeff Goldblum) and spell out their issues with clumsy directness. But Michell and his stars set things right by the end, closing on a tender note of bittersweet hope.

Share
Top of Story