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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Gainsbourg (Film)

by Annette Basile | November 02, 2010 09:10 | Edited November 02, 2010 10:11

Humorous, touching and endlessly fascinating, this inspired portrait beautifully captures the spirit of the enduring French icon.

There's a bold splash of the surreal in this inspired portrait of a man whose life really is too big for one film. Here, French icon Serge Gainsbourg is oft followed by an imaginary alter-ego - an actor made up as a caricature, his exaggerated features reflecting how the genius singer/songwriter saw himself. The alter-ego also points to debut director Joann Sfar's background as an established graphic novelist.

 

Gainsbourg opens with Serge as a child on the beach, already smoking what will become an endless cigarette. It's an amusing image, followed by playfully animated opening credits with a cartoon Serge swimming underwater, still smoking that durry. Fantasy, humour, heart - and delicious music - infuse this left-field biopic that begins during WW2. The period detail is excellent, as we see an audacious young Serge, the child of Russian Jewish parents, collecting his Star Of David in Nazi-occupied Paris. Serge's burgeoning career as a musician and womaniser comes next, and although he hated his looks (his mother at one point asks him why he didn't get his prominent ears fixed), it didn't stop him from nabbing a married Brigitte Bardot for a lover. A competent Laetitia Casta doesn't quite look the Bardot part, although Lucy Gordon (the Perfume actress who tragically committed suicide last year) beautifully realises British singer and Blow-Up actress Jane Birkin.

 
Serge and Birkin's marriage produced one Charlotte Gainsbourg (The Tree). Charlotte considered playing the role of her father - and it could have been a stellar turn on par with Cate Blanchett's Bob Dylan in I'm Not There - but ultimately declined. The role instead went to the brilliant Eric Elmosnino (Father Of My Children), who was possibly born to play this part. He magnificently captures Serge's evolving persona, helping to make Gainsbourg the movie just as fascinating and fantastic as the man himself.