Just not a very good movie.

Rating: 4/10 (23 April 2009)

I found the basic elements of good movie making lacking and that's a shame because there's a lot of very good talent involved. The script was too expository and seemed like a classroom exercise. The lead actors, particularly Hanks, seemed stiff and sort of embarrassed by what they were doing. Audrey Tautou is pretty and likable but there are no sparks between her and Hanks... no chemistry. Jean Reno, as usual, does a wonderful job. But there's so little definition or personality to any of the characters it's hard to empathize with them. There was no plot line to the story but rather a series of vignettes that end up really going nowhere. And lastly, realizing that this is based on a fictional work, the story still defies credulity. There's something disingenuous about this effort.