Broken English (2007)

Broken English: Directed by Zoe R. Cassavetes. With Parker Posey, Drea de Matteo, Tim Guinee, Gena Rowlands. Since college (art), Nora hasn’t had luck with men. Now in her 30s, she works in a NYC hotel going nowhere. But then she meets a Frenchman.

“One of my most anticipated films of the year turns out to be a bit of a typical rom-dram snoozer. Despite a stellar cast, Zoe Cassavettesu0026#39; first film is a bit of a misfire. It seems she was going for an old-school type of romance film with a modern (yet unoriginal) twist, but I watched this thinking u0026quot;If I wanted to watch an old-fashioned romantic drama, Iu0026#39;d rather just watch a movie from the 40s.u0026quot; Not to compare this to the breakthrough film of that-other-daughter-of-a-famous-director, but this totally has a u0026quot;Lost in Translationu0026quot; vibe going on. Except it isnu0026#39;t nearly as engrossing or well-made. The movieu0026#39;s best feature is, of course, Parker Posey. I do give credit to Cassavettes for taking a chance to show something that not many other directors have been willing to do–that Posey is a brilliant dramatic actress. Sure, sheu0026#39;s a brilliant comedienne and this is what sheu0026#39;s known for, but one look at u0026quot;Broken Englishu0026quot; or u0026quot;Personal Velocity willu0026quot; prove that this woman is every bit as good as your Streeps or your Hepburns. She just needs better roles! Justin Theroux is excellent, though only in the film for 15 minutes or so. I do fear heu0026#39;s getting typecast as the cocky yuppie or Hollywood type. So this one isnu0026#39;t a total waste of time, but Iu0026#39;d say itu0026#39;s for fans of the cast only.”