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Molière

Even if all the world's a stage, this dramedy may struggle for an audience

By Matt Pais, Metromix

July 27, 2007

Critic's Rating:

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Years before finding success as a comic playwright in late 17th century France, aspiring dramatist Jean-Baptiste Poquelin dit Molière (Romain Duris, intermittently amusing) is bailed out of prison by wealthy Monsieur Jourdain (Fabrice Luchini) under one condition: that Moliere teach him to act so that he may woo a beautiful younger woman (Ludivine Sagnier of "Swimming Pool"). Needless to say, Molière must keep this mission a secret from Jourdain's wife, whom he, of course, falls for.

Big question: Can this fictionalized flick avoid comparisons to "Shakespeare in Love" and find fun by turning Molière's life into a Molière-esque play?

Skip it: Considering Molière's penchant for in-your-face farce, it's strange that "Molière" underplays its biggest opportunities for laughs, like the film is standing at the plate but unwilling to swing the bat. A freewheeling good time is begging to come out of all these deceptions and hidden agendas, but the movie remains a series of well-established gears that fail to turn.

Catch it: If you agree with Celimene's (Sagnier) assertion that "Beauty without intelligence is like a hook without bait." This likely also means that you are not Jessica Simpson.

Bottom line: The only substance in "Molière" comes from the scribe learning that when you write what you know, you can't chronicle tragedy until you've experienced it. Had "Molière" offered a broader repertoire of comedy and truly asked its characters to sacrifice for love, perhaps the film would not have suffered from the same lack of dramatic perspective as its hero.

Bonus: Next time you can't pay the bills, take a page from Molière's book and call out, "A plague on creditors!" Hired goons are surprisingly fearful of old-school threats!

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