subject: Holidays By The Sea And Chico & Rita Film Reviews From 2011 Chicago International Film Festival [print this page] Every year I attend the Chicago International Film Festival and this year was no exception. In the past I have been delighted with the film making splendors that I have been honored to watch. What I like most about this film festival is its international flavor. It gives Americans the chance to see films being created by filmmakers from around the globe, an opportunity that most of us never get.
This year I approached by attendance as I had in the past. I reviewed the film synopses to determine which films to watch, I made a date with some close friends to attend the festival and I brought a pad of paper and a pen with me to take notes. I was particularly excited this year to watch a film that seemed to be a take on a Jacques Tatit's creative style, who happens to be one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. Unfortunately, the film that I was the most excited about seeing turned out to be a disappointment.
Holidays by the Sea
The film "Holidays by the Sea" was a French comedy that was intended to be a throw back to Tatitist films. While its preview information gave it a good review I found it to be extremely disappointing and not clever, particularly for a comedy. Out of five stars possible I only gave it two stars, and this was generous.
The problem that this film had was that it just was not funny. The misguided attempts at pratfalls and other Tatitist style comic activities missed their target all together. Also the film lacked cohesion and flow. It seemed to be all over the place with little holding the story and the audience together.
While I may not be a film expert, my opinion of this film seemed to be a common one as no one applauded or talked after the film was over. Like the film, the theater was also devoid of humor.
Chico & Rita
A little disappointed by my experience with "Holidays by the Sea" I moved on to the next film a little heavy hearted. After taking a short break to cleanse my movie viewing pallet, I entered the theater for "Chico & Rita." This film was an animated feature that was delightful. It was not a film for kids as it dealt with adult themes of love, betrayal and infidelity. This stunning movie captured the art and music of post World War II Cuba, and it was definitely worth the time to see.
