by Eeva-Liisa Waaraniemi
Do you ever finish watching a movie and wish you could see the beginning again because now you “know” the characters and so you think if you could see them again, it would be more meaningful somehow? Broken English is one of those movies. It starts with close-ups of Nora (Parker Posey), an unhappy young woman, anxiously yet unenthusiastically dressing up for a friend’s wedding anniversary party. By the end, you’re rooting for this woman whose discontent and frailties have become familiar. According to “real” reviewers (which I am not [editor remarks about the joyous dangers of self-deprecation]), and comments from a layman or two around me, the film is based on a very cliché premise: someone unlucky in love gives up on ever finding it, and then… something unexpected happens. This is why, generally lacking cynical judgment, I approached the movie with lukewarm expectations. But I walked out of the theater quite pleased, concurring with my friend that we’d seen a pretty good movie — and I’d say low expectations doesn’t completely account for that appreciation. The movie is actually quite full of clichés, but you know what? Most of the time, it works. Posey portrays Nora perfectly. Julien, the French love interest, comes off goofy and annoying at first, but by the end of the movie has women melting in their seats for what seems a smolderingly perfect male specimen. By the way, all the French (from Julien to strangers on the street) are extremely well-adjusted, often sharing life lessons with the messed-up, confused Americans — another cliché, yet not ad nauseum.
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