Rating: 
Summary: French Femmes Fatales Find the Funnybone in F Sharp
Review: Go see this movie and don't wait until it is remade into a bad American version This is a delightful, go for broke, silly film, that allows its cast and the audience to have a great time at the movies. How often does French cinema treat its audience to a cast that includes some of France's most glamorous leading ladies (Deneuve, Huppert, Ardant, Beart)doing full on slapstick comedy and song? 8 women, trapped in a mansion during a snowstorm in the 1950's, find the master of the house dead. All 8 women are suspects, and are guilty of secrets, as well as digging up the dirt on one another, mud slinging, insult hurling and then singing their hearts out. One of the characters may be guilty of murder, and we learn that they all had motives....Production values are high and attention to detail in costumes and sets are noticeable with an effort to reproduce the images of Technicolor films of the 50's. Isabelle Huppert is a show stealer as the bitter spinster sister Augustine to Catherine Deneuve's Gaby. Director Francois Ozon inspires great performances and manages to pull off a pretty quirky idea. I loved this film but I suppose it is not for everyone. If you are up for a well made French comedy that is a little twisted with sharp witted writing, then sit back and enjoy this French bonbon. Don't worry about the subtitles. You will be laughing so hard you will forget you are reading them. Fun web site shows trailer and clips of songs and much more
Rating: 
Summary: Eight Great Women...And A Real Stiff of A Guy
Review: I've been running my own little French film festival of late. I go on jags like that periodically. As it happened, I loaded up on a number of grim ones (NOIR ET BLANC, EST-OUEST and LA HAINE among the most recent). So I was about ready for some lighter fare and HUIT FEMMES more than filled the bill.My French film festival has also been something of a Deneuve festival as well, and seeing Catherine hold her own against seven other remarkable French actresses (and one French actor, who's a bit of a stiff)was a delight. Huppert, Ardant, Beart--and a very lively Danielle Darrieux as "Mamy" are all merveilleuses. Relative newcomers Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier are equally wonderful. As others have noted, it's sort of "Agatha Christie "en francais." With a touch of UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG thrown in for good measure. (And no, the musical numbers are not a distraction unless you're a mystery purist, and if that's the case this fun flick is not going to be your tasse de the). Not all French escapist fare fares well in tranlation, but 8 FEMMES is a bon-bon that is truly bon.
Rating:
Summary: Agath Christie style mystery with a musical comedy twist
Review: This film is very reminiscent of The Mousetrap, or any other play by the Queen of Crime. Murder suspects all trapped in the house with a dead body, sharp insights into humanity, the slow unravelling of skeletons in the closets... the standard Christie fare. But Ozon has added his own touch to a classic plot with the musical comedy twist, interspersing shocking revelations with light-hearted yet revealing song and dance numbers. This film really brings into sharp relief the fact that people can live together nearly all their lives and yet know next to nothing about each other. The twisting, shifting relationships between sisters and mothers and daughters, the envy, jealousy, and greed... But the occasional flashes of pathos and genius, and the remarkable acting aside, the plot does not hold together psychologically. Once you start analysing the story, it simply breaks down. The crime that is not exactly a crime, the puzzling and all together unbelievable motive behind the whole thing is really a huge put off and an anticlimax after a fantastic beginning and middle. But if you can ignore the disappointing ending, the film is still a solid four stars. For the non-French viewer, be sure to get a version with subtitles for the songs as well. I was disappointed when my VCD didn't come with translations for the songs, which made it difficult to really enjoy them though the music was good.
Rating: 
Summary: So Bad It's...Bizarre
Review: This has got to be one of the loopiest films I've ever seen. Does it work? Not really. Is it fun to watch? With these women, how could it not be? But don't expect logic in any way, shape or form. (Keeping track of who is or isn't a lesbian alone could make your head spin.) Unfortunately, don't expect good songs, either. Why make a musical with such paltry material? I guess the director's answer would be "why not" -- which is pretty much the feel (and philosophy) for this entire film.
Rating:
Summary: Leave your sanity at the door
Review: Seriously - take this film for what it is, watch some of the best actresses ever chew the scenery and enjoy! Don't expect anything too profound - but watch the faces! Just watching Emmanuel Beart pout is worth the cost of the film alone. This is a film in love with the idea of woman but appalled at the reality. Understand that and all else becomes clear. I rate this as one of my top 50 films because I enjoy watching actors act with subtle changes in facial expressions - only the most skilled can do it (without resorting to stock expressions a la Keanu Reaves)and this film is filled with some of the best. Oh by the way of you are a fan of cheesy French Rock and Roll I deny you not too hum along to the first number. The UK DVD has the full version of this as an extra.
Rating:
Summary: Tuneless "Musical"
Review: I'm admittedly not a fan of Francois Ozon. Having seen several of his films, I haven't been a devotee of his violent and overly sexual stories a la Criminal Lovers. This film seemed like an advancement for him, so I rented it. 8 Women looks great and is a change of pace, but the film cannot overcome its stage roots and most of the songs are forgettable and too weakly sung to be truly enjoyable. The sets grow claustrophobic after a while, and despite the top notch acting, the story gets stale. At one point, I glanced over at my clock and saw that I still had an hour left in this story. Not a good sign when a go-nowhere plot still has 60 minutes left. Most disappointingly, the biggest revelation in the film is thrown away in one line, with no reaction shots added or consequences. And what is the ultimate message? Women are a bunch of dithery, selfish harpies that can drive their men to desperate measures? Sorry, despite it's pre-feminist 1950's setting, this is still annoying. The actors and the colors are a real treat though and the opening credits call to mind the glossy Hollywood movies of the past.
Rating:
Summary: A dark farce
Review: that can't decide whether it's a murder mystery or a parody of one. Each character has a < gasp! > song, each worst than the last. Its message is the women in any man's life will drive him crazy. Sure, the eight women here are the best that French cinema has to offer, though Catherine Deneuve is a bit of a dumpling despite being typecast as a closet "Sapphist." But the movie's unit setting is more typical of stage than cinema. And it drags, horribly. You might find its compendium of French insults interesting. But if you don't, it's just a director stringing cliches together to abuse both art & audience. Probably not worth your time, and certainly not worth your trouble.
Rating: 
Summary: As bad as Moulin Rouge
Review: As a non-traditional student (having taught French for over 20 years before returning to graduate work)pursuing a doctorate in French, I`ve seen a lot of fine French films. 8 Femmes isn`t one of them. For a charming musical, for example, see Sous les toits de Paris directed by Rene Clair in the early 1930`s. The forgettable songs in 8 Femmes are stiffly rendered by actresses who can`t sing and can`t dance. The drama of the murder plot is oddly juxtaposed against giddy females singing about, well, who knows what? The songs are not organic to the movie, just added on at odd intervals so each of the eight ladies gets a chance to demonstrate her non-talent. Where is Ginger Rogers when you need her? And you need a score card to keep track of all the ladies who are in reality lesbians. The scene with Fanny Ardant on top of Catherine Deneuve was, well, beyond words. Kindly run, do not walk, to the nearest exit.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't Work!
Review: For all the famous names in this movie, soomething better should have come out of it. It was predictable from the first, and the twists and turns were just silly. They couldn't leave the estate, although one of them managed to arrive from the outside. Just about every one was involved in something illicit, or at least in something strange. Lovers were talked about but not really discussed. The biggest bombshell involving supposed incest was discussed by just two of the eight and nothing was made of it. This movie was just an unrelated bunch of snippets that just doesn't work.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Ditty
Review: First off, I'd like to comment on the fact that this flick has a "theater" feel to it. It feels as though the audience is interacting with the cast.
This musical whodunit mystery/black comedy is quite entertaining (and very French). Ozone uses bright colors and outlandish wardrobe as usual on this canvas. The musical score was fresh and although it wasn't necessary to further the plot, it added yet another dimension of artistry to the film. The actresses in this were clearly having a good time, and won me over right from the get-go. The plot is a typical "clue-style" story where 8 women are all suspects in a murder and they are trapped in a house with each other.
A must see for all "artsy" film lovers!
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