La Nouvelle Eve

Having said that, the film can not be easily dismissed, primarily because of the performance of Karin Viard. Karin plays, Camille, a 30 something Parisian who is dedicated to a life of booze, parties, drugs and debauchery, but has began to realize that her life is empty and meaningless. She has also become clinically depressed, with wild mood swings. Everything changes when she meets Alexis (played by Pierre-Loup Rajot). She falls instantly in love with him, then finds out he is married. Even that does not dissuade her.

NUDITY REPORT

Karin Viard shows her ample breasts several times while making love to Rajot

She becomes his mistress, but that is not an easy role, especially for her. Finally, in desperation, she marries someone else. Then Alexis's is
divorced by his wife, who found out about the affair. Unlike most French love stories, the two end up together. The film was beautifully made, and Viard put her entire being into a great performance.

DVD info from Amazon.

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The film's major problem was a trite plot that would have needed stretching for a 30 minute TV show.

The film is not so easy to dismiss, however. Rajot and Viard had really chemistry, and the story did explain why they were drawn to each other. She was single, emotional, passionate, bisexual, high strung and a substance abuser. He was married, settled (leader in the socialist party), even-tempered, straight and organized. It was the classic "opposites attract".

The Critics Vote

Berardinelli 2.5/4. The New York Times had about the same reaction, characterizing it as a worthwhile movie with some wrong notes.

The People Vote ...

With their votes ... IMDB summary: IMDb voters score it 5.7,

With their dollars ... it was a moderate success in France - with about 350,000 admissions. Given the population difference between France and the USA, and today's ticket prices, that's about equivalent to about a $10 million showing in the USA.

IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.