L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)

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Summary: About meaning in the midst of chaos
Review: I loved this movie. Not only does it present Barcelona (a city I am in love with) in its own right: a bit messy and chaotic, yet unique and special, like no other place on earth. The city becomes the people and the people, the city.

Xavier (a funny French exchange student, played by Romain Duris) goes through the loops and curves that life places in front of him, going away from familiar Paris to come back after a year of sharing an apartment with six other Erasmus students, soaking up each other's culture and learning quite a bit about the opposite sex. He ends up finding his true calling in life, after having learned more about himself in a year than he had in the first 24 years of his life.

Fun, human, touching and sexy: all these things are to be found in this International flic, to make it highly enjoyable.

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Summary: A Whirlwind of Youth and Sexuality
Review: Cedric Klapisch makes his directorial case for the new Europe of cooperation and happiness. The crushing bureaucracy of the Euro will not be the future. Rather, the future is a bunch of twenty-something's experiencing life in a laid back, bohemian tradition reminiscent of the 60's hippies with the added ingredient of techno dance. The final scene where young Frenchy Xavier finally gets the job he's coveted, this scene then progresses to "The Graduate" statement, namely, run from your parent's reality to a new world.

Xavier has a girlfriend, a stockbroker father, and an ex-hippy mother. His world is very boring. In France a huge part of the population works for the government. To get a ministry job, he must learn Spanish, so he leaves home for the first time and arrives in swinging Barcelona. (See my review of "Barcelona") A newlywed couple, a young surgeon and his shy, but beautiful wife befriend him. He lives with them briefly, but then takes up residence with students from all over Europe in a small apartment where they are practically crawling over each other when they are not drunk or high. This is a metaphor for the youth of Europe working together in study and fun. There's some stereotyping here, but it's very mild. To the director's credit, the cultural traits are handled by viable vignettes. There's the lesbian girl story, the handsome Dutchman discovers he's a father, the English girl is not as anal as her roommates thought when a young American beds her. The proud Spanish girl, the funny Italian, and the straight-laced German know how to party.

But Xavier is thrown together with Anna-Sophia, the doctor's wife. From his friend the Belgian lesbian, he learns the secret of making love to a woman. Naturally Anna is so taken by Xavier's attentions, she falls for him passionately and they have an affair under her husband's nose. Meanwhile, Xavier's whining French gal breaks with him.

These are classic tribulations of youth. How wonderful to find a place where one can go native at least once in a lifetime, whether Barcelona, Key West, or Tango Tango. Can it be a permanent state of mind, the whirlwind of youth and sexuality? I hope so.


Rating:
Summary: Barcelona to a 'B'
Review: This was a fantastic movie! It brought out the best in European humour and style of cinematography. It's quirky, thoughtful, provocative and crazy all at the same time. The protagonist, Xavier, is comprehensible by most and his experience as an exchange student comes across as believeable. I really enjoyed the many shots of Barcelona: Maremagnum, Barceloneta, Placa Catalunya and many more. Having spent part of my summer in Barcelona earlier this year the film was like a return to the crazy party atmosphere I experienced. A melting-pot of cultures. I totally reccomend it!

Rating:
Summary: Questions
Review: I liked the movie alot as you can see by my rating but there are two questions that I have after seening this movie. Whey did xavier not go after Neus (the hot spanish girl who oviously had a thing for him)she was way chiller than any of the girls he was with? The other question is what was the thing that Isabelle said that every man should know? That just killed me because I want to know

Rating:
Summary: International students romp around in Barcelona.
Review: Xavier (Romain Duris), a young French economics student, is given advice that a year in Spain would help his career prospects. So he joins the Erasmus programme and travels to Barcelona for a year's study. This means leaving behind long-term girlfriend (Audrey Tatou). On the plane to Barcelona, he meets a French neurologist, Jean-Michel and his new wife, Anne-Sophie. At first Xavier wants to shed his new acquaintances, but when the harsh reality of finding housing hits, Xavier accepts their hospitality.

Most of the film is concerned with Xavier's adventures in Barcelona. He struggles to find appropriate housing, and ends up sharing a tiny apartment with several other international students. He juggles his long-distance relationship with the desire to enjoy a social life with his roommates. The film addresses some common themes--the agony of shared student housing (particularly the fridge), language and cultural barriers, and long distance relationships.

There's nothing too serious and deep here--although Xavier does entangle himself in a potentially nasty situation. The film raises questions concerning adjustment (both in Barcelona and also back home in France), but largely, the film is a romp. There's some stereotyping, and the film is--at best--mildly amusing. Although the film is about a student who lives with other students, the film does not delve into academic life. I think there's one scene, total, in the film that takes place in the classroom. Xavier and his roommates study, however, as they are occasionally seen, books in hand. The focus is on fun and games--not the uphill academic slog or swotting for examinations until dawn.

After seeing two other films by Cedric Klapisch ("The Cat's Away" and "Air de Famille"), I was a little disappointed in "L'Auberge Espagnole." "L'Auberge Espagnole" is, no doubt, more of a commercial success than Klapisch's other films, but it's fluffy in comparison--displacedhuman


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Summary: Please spread the gospel of 'L'Auberge Espagnole' ! ! !
Review: I was at a party crowded with Americans who had spent time studying abroad, and somehow this movie's title came up, and everyone at the party nodded with a delighted "Ahh yes..." kind of knowing grin, because we all knew without having to articulate it that this film captures 95% of what living and studying in a foreign country is all about.

Other people have described the plot and characters a bit, so I won't be redundant. I will add, though, that if you're in college or headed to college and you're thinking about studying in a foreign country, SEE THIS FILM! You will most assuredly hit the same highs and lows, and you'll end up having just as much fun and just as many headaches.

This movie combines the humor of "Breaking Away" with the cleverness of "Lost in Translation" and has a good-vibe quotient right up there with "Finding Nemo" or "Chariots of Fire." As a brilliant reviewer below wrote: "This is not your father's foreign film." It's easy to follow and easy to understand. And it packs a nice little (non-preachy) cultural message or two.

Tragic warning: the amazing Audrey Tautou is only on-screen for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Rating:
Summary: This is not your father's "foreign film". Light, frothy fun.
Review: This movie is quite an expected treat in that it chronicles the lives of a group of young adults who make you smile, dream, and possibly reminisce about having the opportunity to think and play without the restrictions of official adulthood. The root of the comedy, which mostly takes place in a group apartment, centers on both universal commonalities and cultural differences in an increasingly ethnically integrated Barcelona. Don't let this introduction make you think that the movie is an overtly political statement on cultural integration, as it is a simple celebration of how funny or annoying different cultures can be to those who don't really understand the subtle or sometimes huge differences that is engrained in all of us. The beauty if that it pokes fun at every culture in a loving fashion while letting us in of the lives of some very colorful people. It even suggests that we not only have much to learn from others, but that it may be so much more interesting and fulfilling to be around people who can push your buttons and that ultimately community is about people coming together because they chose to.

The movie opens with a hyperkinetic pace and editing tricks that lets you know that it's not going to be your stereotypical run of the mill foreign film. You could call it a coming of age film, but it's one that is not targeted at solely kids as it feels very universal and timeless. The movie is acted with zest and every single character is well-tended to by the writer. Even though all the characters are not immediately likable, you wind up loving the group and wanting their time together not to end and maybe for you to have the opportunity of living with them if only for a while.

Even if you are not generally a fan of foreign films, you may want to gives this one a chance as it is intoxicating and certainly made me want to go back in time for a few years and have the opportunity to have been exposed to such diversity instead of the homogeneity that surrounds/surrounded most of us. I recommend this movie to almost anyone and especially to those in college who may only see the serious side of living in another country. The ending, which I won't give away, seems to have gotten the Hollywood treatment, but it's not a deal-breaker. The movie easily earns 4 stars and I would not be surprised if the director and many of the secondary characters find as much professional success as Audrey Tautou of Amelie has found. Warning: If you are only going to see the movie to Audrey, you may be disappointed as her role is important yet very small. The movie's marketing team has put her in the middle of all advertising campaigns and right smack in the center of the DVD box, so you may think that the movie centers around her and it just is not the case. She is cute and it's great to see her playing a character that is not entirely lovable as she quickly sheds Amelie.