SCREEN

BON VOYAGE

Martin Stein












BON VOYAGE (PG-13)


(2.5 stars)




Stars: Grégori Deranger, Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu, Virginie Ledoyen


Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau


French with English subtitles


Details: Opens Friday



Jean-Paul Rappeneau lacks the courage that he showed in Cyrano de Bergerac, and never commits himself to this half-hearted farce about a collection of people trying to stay one step ahead of the invading Nazis in 1940s France.


The story centers on Frederic, a lovesick writer (Deranger), and Viviane, the film star (Adjani) he has been enthralled by since childhood. She uses every man she comes across to further her own goals, even if it means letting Frederic go to prison for a murder she committed. Frederic escapes during an evacuation of Paris and he, as well as his thief-with-a-heart-of-gold accomplice, wind up in Burgundy, along with Viviane, who is now traveling under the auspices of a government minister (Depardieu), a Jewish scientist who has discovered how to make heavy water, and his beautiful assistant (Ledoyen).


Plot lines weave and intersect like a French bedroom comedy, and at times the humor is remarkable given the wartime setting, but ultimately Bon Voyage is like a poorly made soufflé, collapsing into unappetizing mess.

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