Read My Lips (2001)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Sadly Over-hyped

hyped garbage

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This is a typical French drama, which means you'll have to wait for the inevitable of course; but on the other hand, if you're use to this genre, you may not expect the inevitable to occur. It does. There, I just spoiled it; you were warned. If you are a Jacques Audiard fan, as I am, you will not be disappointed. Each film directed by the man has rewarded my expectations.Carla, played by Emmanuelle Devos, is a near totally deaf employee at a major construction and development firm where only her supervisor appears to have noticed her talent and dedication, whereas her co-workers see her with a different and biased eye. She manages with a hearing aid and by putting in more work than anyone else. Her boss recognizing this assigns her an intern, which she can pick herself. She picks Paul, an ex-convict, played by fame international star Vincent Cassel; I assumed the character of Carla was sympathetic to underdog Paul for obvious reasons, but I realized soon enough it was because he took her seriously and felt some degree of gratitude when she goes beyond what he expected and finds him accommodations on top of making sure he keeps his job. Paul has a much different outlook on life. When he notices she reads lips, he puts two and two together and sees the potential for spying on a gang of criminals who he wants to rip-off. He convinces her to do this for him and she very reluctantly obliges, having developed for him feelings, not reciprocated until the very end of the movie.The caper does not go all that well and almost fails; were it not for Carla putting herself at risk to get Paul what he wanted, he would have not only lost his chance, but also his life. That was all that was needed for him to wake up to the love of the woman meant for him. I'm just a sucker for those kinds of movies and if you liked my synopsis, you'll like the movie.

A super, unusual film from Audiard, Read My Lips is a pulpy, lonely- hearts thriller. It's perfect for the handsomely grizzled charisma of Vincent Cassel and features a marvellously contained performance from Emanuelle Devos. Devos is a recurring feature of Audiard in the same way that KArin Viard pops up for Jean-Pierre Jeunet: unconventionally beautiful (she's referred to by everyone as unattractive in this film), versatile and capable of a subordinate profile.This is almost the definition of her role as Carla, a put-upon office dogsbody, taunted by colleagues exploiting her deafness. Yet she finds an ami d'exploitation, if you like in Cassel's ex-con Paul. Each exploits the other's unconventional talents (theft and lip reading) to struggle through their respective situations and form an unconventionally romantic rapprochement. Devos/Audiard manage Carla's deafness and its attendant, warped inner world with discreet, stylish flair.In this film (2001) Audiard is already clearly in control of his handling on tension, action and investing his frame with a truly visceral experience which will become the great hit - A Prophet - of nine years later. 7/10

This movie just pulls you so deeply into the two main characters. I popped it into my laptop without even reading the cover (let alone reviews) and was intrigued for two solid hours. Two lost ships from two different worlds collide. The sexual tension that brews between a secretary and a criminal is almost palpable even without hardly any physical contact. Toward the end I couldn't decide which I wanted more: Our hero and heroine to pull off their caper or simply consummate their passion. RML could've done without a curious subplot and a traditional 100 minutes would have been plenty. I'm nitpicking though. After a series of Netflix, Blockbuster and local library duds this movie restored my faith in great film making.

I watched this movie over the span of two days. The whole day after watching the first part, I was distracted by recollections of the imagery and just basic feel of the movie and couldn't wait to see the rest. It was so refreshing to see a movie with a captivating plot and sensuality without excessive sexuality. The directing and editing tied everything together wonderfully. Definitely a nail-biter towards the end and fast-paced enough to keep one interested but not so much so that it leaves one confused. I can't think of anything negative to say about it. If only they made movies this good in America these days.....