This movie made me hate French people.
Okay, I realize that’s a completely absurd and silly statement, but throughout the entire film, I kept thinking, over and over, “GAWD…French people really suck!”
It’s a good film though – very entertaining. I was paranoid that I’d have to squint through a bunch of subtitles, but I was pleasantly surprised that it played out more like a silent film than a foreign film. There were a few snatches of French throughout, but nothing integral to the plot.
Although animated, this is definitely NOT a cartoon. The PG-13 rating is definitely warranted. Although nothing too graphically violent or sexual is shown, there a still little moments that are definitely not for kids. I really think that The Triplets of Belleville was out of place in the Oscar Category of Best Animated Film. Not that film wasn’t Oscar-worthy – it definitely was…it just doesn’t operate on the same level as Finding Nemo or Brother Bear. (How the fuck did Brother Bear get nominated? Were there absolutely no other animated films made in 2003?)
Notwithstanding the bizarre animation style and weird plot, the music was friggin’ amazing. A weird combination of what I guess is Cabaret and Jazz music, the songs are catchy, although not exactly radio friendly. I’ve ended up with ‘Belleville Rendezvous’ stuck in my head more than a few times during the past couple of weeks.
I would totally go hang out with the Triplets of Belleville – frog legs are totally yummy. They kinda taste like chicken, but with a musky aftertaste. I wish that Pappadeaux still served them… *sigh*
You gotta give it to the French. They know how to jerk the heartstrings.
I can’t believe that this film made me cry. Yes, you heard me right – I cried like a fuckin’ tiddy baby. And I’m not even ashamed to say so. I really didn’t think that it would affect me this much, but to my surprise, it did. I felt sympathetic towards Ludovic, but I also felt sympathy for his family. What would I do if my little boy wanted to be a little girl? I don’t know. I really don’t.
It was such a wonderfully colorful film. I have been a sucker for pink lately, as anyone who has seen my wardrobe recently can attest to, and there was a lot of it in the film. (Well, duh! What’s the title?) I was also fairly amused by the “Pam & Ben” theme throughout. It makes me feel good to know that Barbie is a worldwide phenomenom. Every girl (and boy) should be a Barbie Girl. I was a bit confused by the locales in the film. I really didn’t envision France looking so much like suburban America. I imagine that France does have suburbs, I guess I never really thought about it before. I had pictured France to be either quaint city scenes with cafes and museums or poor ghetto countrysides…I am so provincial, it makes me want to shit.
It seems that all indie arthouse films these days center around gay themes, in one way or another. It’s so…trendy. It was a first for me to see it from such a young point of view, which I liked. This film never could have been made in America. The poor kid would have been so stigmatized that he never could have gotten another film role.
I was so made fun of when I snagged this film from work. I explained what it was about and Doni was like “Fuck the French! Leave it to the French to make a film about some gay little kid. Fuckin’ Frogs!” Or something to that effect. Yeah, leave it to the French…