Oscar Winners Jean Dujardin and Marion Cotillard lead a solid cast in this Comedy –Drama Coming to Blu-ray/DVD From MPI on February 5, 2013
First off I would like to warn you: “Little White Lies” is NOT presented in English. This is because, I am only guessing, it was made by French people for a primarily French audience and as Steve Martin once said: “Those French have a different word for everything”.
You will not be left entirely in the dark because They (They being the vague, faceless Hollywoodian mass that decides what we are going to watch) have been so kind as to place English words at the base of the screen so that we can read what is going on. Think of it as the opposite of ‘Books on Tape’. This goes a very long way in communicating the story. So, to recap; “Little White Lies” is a French film you have to read unless you speak French.
OK, that’s enough of that. I’m kidding, of course. I’ve read plenty of movies with subtitles. I even turn them on when watching Chris Nolan Normal Language films because I find I follow along better. When I saw “The Dark Knight Rises” in the theater I thought Bane spent the entire movie trying to order an omelet. Subtitles at home revealed to me that this was not the case.
Now back to the review…
“Little White Lies” is an ensemble piece that plays like an updated version of “The Big Chill” with much more wine drinking involved. I tried to avoid “The Big Chill” comparison but the similarities are too abundant. A tragedy unites a group of friends, they all look inward to evaluate their lives, and tears are shed while all is presented with Classic American Music blaring throughout the soundtrack. Despite the fact that this is a French film the songs that move the plot along are old standbys by The Band, David Bowie and Creedance Clearwater Revival. The music seems out of place in parts but it never ruins the film.
The tragedy that begins the story is a violent motorcycle accident that puts a good friend in the hospital. This is the opening shot of “Little White Lies” that follows the doomed Ludo (Jean Dujardin from “The Artist”) through a hopping club, out into the streets of Paris and down the road until a truck comes and ruins Ludo’s day. It’s a awesome opener and nothing ever matches the ingenuity of this sequence throughout the remaining 2 and half hour running time.
The accident means that Ludo will not be able to make his annual month-long vacation he usually spends with a large group of friends. The friends gather at the hospital, look at Ludo’s battered body and decide to go on holiday anyways. Very caring group we have here.
Relationships and dysfunctions are slowly revealed as the near-loss of a friend can make one analyze one’s current state. Marie (Marion Cotillard) is a promiscuous woman who can’t seem to commit to anyone. Éric (Gilles Lellouche) cannot stay faithful to his lovely girlfriend Léa (Louise Monot) and the group’s elder Max (François Cluzet) struggles with an unrequited love/crush situation. Lots of relationship issues here and tears and yelling matches soon follow.
The cast easily conveys the bonds and emotions that make you believe that they’ve known each other for a very long time. With Dujardin, Cotillard (another one that is hard to understand in “The Dark Knight Rises”) and Cluzet (from last year’s most popular Import “The Intouchables”) “Little White Lies” features an All-Star cast when it comes to the average American Filmgoer’s familiarity with French actors. The chemistry and banter makes the film sing in parts.
Ultimately “Little White Lies” gets weighted down by its length. There is simply not enough here to warrant 150 minutes. Plot points get repeated over and again. This is a film about stunted people and the storytelling becomes stunted as well. The last act becomes incredibly heavy-handed and nearly ruins much of the good established early on. While the acting and dialogue is exceptional in skips and jumps, “Little White Lies” is a flawed film that needs some trimming.
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Behind the Scenes
Trailer