Rating: 
Summary: Oh no - I had to end it!
Review: I agree with the others that gave it one star. I was expecting a much different movie. It was trying to be different, quirky, and funny and it was none of these things. I did not care about the characters because there was nothing of substance to care about. I realize it was a comedy that was supposed to be light and funny, but it did not make me laugh, in fact I was cringing at the performances especially the established older actresses. The songs were awful or maybe it was the bad singing and choreography. I am no movie critic and so if you want to risk the money be my guest. But, I rarely turn off a movie half way through and this I had to - booorrrrrinnnggg!
Rating: 
Summary: Les Femmes Françaises
Review: When it comes to French women on film, the only sure bet is that they aren't what they appear on the surface. And it's not just in controversial genre-benders like recently acclaimed French flicks Amelie or the sadomasochistic tour-de-force, The Piano Teacher. Sure, they can sizzle with sheer physical oomph on-screen. But unlike their more physically endowed, brasher and brighter Hollywood counterparts, the French diva is more well-rounded in terms of repertoire and emotional sophistication. And it pays off cinematically. In 8 Women (8 Femmes), the reigning divas of French cinema converge on a genre-bending murder mystery musical, and ham it up with convincing panache and verve amid hyper-glam '50s costumes and sets. There's a cracking plot, but the film is more a tongue-in-chic tribute to la femme francaise in all her varied plummage. François Ozon's campy murder mystery romp is less an ensemble performance than a simultaneous showcase for top divas (down to the lighting, painstakingly arranged so as to favour ALL of the leads equally on screen). It has all the archetypal caricatures out on display: The seductive femme fatale in blazing scarlet. The demur housemaid with a gift for service. The elegant mistress of the house. The dutiful catholic schoolgirl and her free-spirited sunny younger sister. The spinster aunt. The kindly crone grandma. Yet delightfully, each of these silver screen sirens hides a secret so powerful it threatens to disrupt the delicate balance of power in the household, while the notional patriarch, Marcel, is noticeable only by his absence. As the murder victim, his sole relevance is as the object of a internecine and feminine intrigue over his wealth and affections. The artifice of 8 Women may be self-conscious, but it's still a sheer delight watching the most eminent French actresses of the age ham it up on screen. It's their aplomb, cool intelligence and sheer force of character on screen that prevents high camp from collapsing into farce. As if to demonstrate her dramatic versatility, Isabelle Huppert, who won high acclaim for her charged performance in the title role as the Piano Teacher, once again steals the show - this time as the uptight spinster sister-in-law, sending up the stern, stone-faced roles she tends to take on. She remains completely convincing once her character undergoes a dramatic makeover near the end of the film. It's a real pity that each character's individual musical monologues (in which much of their inner landscape is revealed through song and dance) have not been translated. So what is it about la femme française that shines onscreen? It's not exactly the looks - few of these celebrated divas (with perhaps the exception of pouty Emmanuelle Béart who plays the buxome housemaid) are classically attractive dames in the Hollywood sense. Yet they bring to the screen that rarest of pleasures: mystique -- the fascinating countenance and intriguing smile beneath which a thousand secrets are concealed.
Rating: 
Summary: 8 Femmes
Review: Charmingly funny movie with the creme de la creme of french actresses. I was impressed by the vivid color of both the cinematography and the portrayals, that I find myself watching this movie again and again. Isabelle Huppert gives and outstanding performance as the spinster sister to Catherine Denueve, who is perfectly cast in her portrayal of the sexy wife and mother. Fanny Ardant is beautiful as always and gives a standout performance. All of these women were perfectly cast. The plot was surprising with twists and turns all leading up to the climax. A classic who-done-it with a bit of slapstick and music. A definate must see. However the DVD does not have the ability to turn off the subtitles, for those of us that find them a distraction.
Rating:
Summary: 8 Women
Review: I was so disappointed in this movie. The plot sounded great, the cast was certainly good, but after twenty minutes and several songs later I wanted to turn it off. I didn't because I thought it might improve. I was wrong. I have never written a review but this one was so bad I feel I have to.
Rating: 
Summary: Half the substance, twice the cheese.
Review: Oh, my was this awful. It was a desperate-to-be-different movie with corny dialogue and even cornier subplots. The characters are two dimensional and are all arrogant in one way or another(other than the maid). You just can't have a "wacky" and risque movie; the mediums simply don't mix as is proof in this film. I am a fan of our ArtHouse movie theater, and attend regularly, but this movie was one of the worst I've seen there. I would not recommend this to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! Fantastique!
Review: I was hesitant, at first, but being a great fan of Catherine Deneuve and Fanny Ardant, how could I not see this film?!? Once I decided to rent "8 Femmes" I was not disappointed. In fact, I was most pleasantly surprised - the music, too, is a nice bonus. Isabelle Huppert gives a scene-stealing performance, and there is nothing bad to say about this film. See it, and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Magnifique!
Review: I saw this film in Europe in the summer of 2002, and really, really loved it. How the director ever managed to get virtually the entire A-list of French actresses to agree to star in the same film must be regarded as a triumph and something to be savoured. The comedy and the mystery aspects of this films are wonderfully balanced so that just when you think you've figured it all out, the director throws in a curve that keeps you on your toes--not to mention the French pop songs that keep popping up in odd yet pleasing ways. The image that comes to mind is of a murder mystery in which there is a sub-plot of a girl having trouble with her boyfriend/husband/significant other--then bursting into a rendition of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Were Made for Walking" just as he walks into the room. HOWEVER, French and Spanish speakers beware! For us, this DVD was not put together well. Unlike most DVD's the viewer cannot remove the English subtitles from the bottom of the screen. The only opition open is to add Spanish subtitles over the top third of the screen so that they compete with the English subtitles over the bottom third of the screen. Using the Spanish subtitles will essentially block out most of the video footage. Since I bought the DVD thinking I could erase the English subtitles, I was disappointed with the features of the DVD. The movie itself is still one of my favourites of the year and I am very glad I bought it.
Rating:
Summary: Outrageous - a Must-See!
Review: Having caught this cinema release in Dec '02, I was counting the days until I could get my hands on my own copy! I had the girls in work dancing to the internet soundtrack - what a riot! AND WHAT A CAST! Eight beautiful, sexy and wonderful actors. Vanilla DVD a little disappointing - What I would have given for interviews, especially with Catherine and Fanny! A MUST SEE!
Rating:
Summary: 8 femmes, one murder, great fun!!!
Review: François Ozon (Criminal Lovers, Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes) has outdone himself with his deliciously entertaining comedy/mystery/musical. With a cast to kill for, beautifully colorful settings and costumes, and a fun musical number for each of the 8 women, you can't go wrong. At an isolated mansion in the snowy countryside of 1950s France, a family has gathered for the holiday season, but before the festvities can begin, their beloved patriarch is brutally murdered. The killer can only be one of the eight women closest to the man of the house. Was it his miserable wife, his spinster sister-in-law, or his shrewd mother-in-law? Maybe it was the insolent chambermaid or the loyal housekeeper? Or could it possibly have been one of his two daughters? A surprise visit from the victim's sister sends the household into a frenzy, encouraging hysterics, exacerbating rivalries and encompassing musical interludes. Comic situations arise with the revelations of dark and twisted family secrets. Each woman is a suspect, each has a motive, and each has a secret. One of them is actually guilty. This wonderful whodunit offers a parade of every name-brand French actress of the past half century and the real thrill is watching icons like Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Danielle Darrieux and Fanny Ardant break into song. The songs, all French pop hits ala "Moulin Rouge," are all about longing and secret wishes long suppressed, and that gives the film a bit more gravity than you might first expect. The screenplay by Ozon and Marina de Van, based on
a play by Robert Thomas, is mesmerizing in its manipulation of facts, truths, mistruths, lies, deceptive acts, secrets, and revelations. The secrets are revealed slowly, and although somewhat predictable, they still manage to shock and bewilder. The film takes a twist toward high camp in the second half, but it is all done tastefully and in good fun. Lavish production values, brilliant cinematography, and energetic performances alone make this film a must. One of the best films of 2002, this was definitely snubbed for a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination. It's a great film ...
Rating:
Summary: I want my 2 hours back!
Review: Catherine Deneuve, French cinema, 8 women and a whodunnit--I had high expectations for this film, all disappointed. It's a movie without a center, around characters with no depth or development. The musical numbers are curiosities, entertaining in themselves, but jarring every time you are taken out of "real" movie time into musical time. The two genres, country house murder and musical, do not mix well. The bigger problem is the story. Whodunnits aren't known for their depth, but these characters are complete cardboard. Worse, they change according to the needs of the scene/story. They have no center, no reality. Even the sexual orientation of some characters changes scene to scene. The actresses do the best with what they are given. The trouble is, it's almost nothing.
At one point, the murdered man's daughter says something about him that changes your whole view of him. It's never referred to again, with no clue as to whether it was true or a lie. A good example of how this is a movie with no center. A powerful ending could have redeemed it. Instead, there was a flashy but pointless twist. There was no insight, no depth, no redemption. If the story had a point, it seemed to be women=bad, men=good. The best thing I can say about it, aside from the costumes, are that the writer understands how to write a story with characters who reveal their secrets a bit at a time. In that sense, the story was well structured, even interesting up to a point. Mostly, this movie felt like some director's excuse to get famous actresses in nice costumes on a sound stage. They emote away, but it's two hours on a train to nowhere.
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