Opiniones de usuarios

Hélène is "a simple housemaid", living a very modest life with her husband and daughter, who both take her for granted. One day, after watching a couple play chess in idyllic conditions, she decides to learn how to play.

Throughout the film, chess is very much a symbol for Hélène aspiring to more in life. At one point, while trying to teach her husband how to play, her eyes light up as she says "La dame est la pièce la plus forte... c'est fou hein?" which could be roughly translated as "The queen is the strongest piece on the board... crazy, huh?".

This single sentence seems to encapsulate the whole state of mind of our protagonist. On one hand, the idea that she could accomplish anything, even be great or the best at anything seems far-fetched to her, yet terribly enticing. She is on a journey towards self-realization that is both exciting and a little scary to Hélène and those around her.

Sandrine Bonnaire is absolutely amazing as usual, and succeeds in showing the state of mind of her character in very few words. Kevin Kline is great as well playing Dr. Kröger, the man who teaches chess to Hélène and develops an unusual and complex bound with her. There are lots of nuances in their relationship and again, in few words, we as viewers can sense a lot is going on. Tension, attraction, challenges.

Caroline Bottaro's direction captures very well Hélène's modest and quiet life and the implicit contrasts between social classes.

I recommend this movie. If you are not convinced yet, give Guy Bellinger's review (here on IMDb) a read.

Joueuse is one of those French films that tenderly and charminlgly warms the heart - it is beautifully made with fine acting, a measured script, never too much or too little - and it rewards the viewer.

The plot of the cleaning lady who discovers chess and a mentor has strong fairytale tones: she is poor, he lives in a château but has withdrawn from the world. She has a husband who struggles to understand his wife's new found interest and growth, he struggles with human interaction. Throughout there is a nice balance around the relationships that makes sense.

Above all, this is a film about discovering that the things we do for pleasure bring their own reward. The chess is very well-handled throughout the film and it makes it fun to watch.

The film has heart, humour, and is nicely unmelodramatic. One of the better films I have seen recently, a pleasure to watch and simply enjoy.

An inspiring chess movie because the democratic essence of the game prevails even when overcoming such obstacles as gender and class bias. But too, the story is as much about battles of all kinds as it is about chess.

We find in this film that a cleaning women's life changes because she says, "I exist, too. I have an interest. I will work at it because it matters to me." She learns, as we all do, that if you take a risk you may lose, but if you do not take risks you will lose.

Beautiful and subtle, yet appropriate, soundtrack and cinematography. Dialogue simple yet profound. Acting - spot on.

Again, foreign studios seem to be outclassing LA and NY - not even close. Well, OK, we have bigger CGI effects' computers and budgets.

"Queen to Play" is a sweet, small, powerful film about a cleaning woman's discovery of passion and dignity through chess. Sandrine Bonnaire plays Helene, a 40 something cleaning woman on the tourist island of Corsica. She's got a nice, handsome, construction worker husband, a snotty teenage daughter struggling through growing pains, an imperious boss at a resort hotel, and a quiet, reasonable, low-rent life.

One day Helene picks up the game of chess, and everything changes. Chess engages her mind and passion. For the sake of learning more about the game, she does things she never would have done, otherwise. She asks a man she cleans for, Dr. Kroger (Kevin Kline) to play with her. The grouchy older man rebuffs her at first, but she offers to clean for free, and he accepts. "Do you always look at people as if your life depended on their answer to your question?" Dr. Kroger asks her.

In fact Helene's life does depend on her newfound passion for chess. Helene demands time to learn about the game. She is distracted in conversations were before she might have listened more sympathetically or joined in petty, local gossip. She schedules hours alone with a man. She answers back to demanding customers at the resort. She snaps at her family, "Would it kill you to cook your own dinner for one night?" Just who does Helene think she is? She is, after all, only a cleaning woman, the chess club president reminds her. His arrogance will not serve him well when he butts up against Helene.

"Queen to Play" is a small film. The script is spare. The film is lovely but not spectacular. Sandrine Bonnaire's great beauty and her performance are its best special effect. I wish there had been a bit more depth and development. But what is here is really powerful. We've gotten so used, in the US, to thinking of injustice and prejudice as being, primarily, about black versus white. "Queen to Play" shows how being a cleaning woman is itself a handicap in society, how expectations can squash a human being, and the price people pay for even the most simple gesture of coloring outside the lines of others' expectations. I admire and like Helene as I do few other film heroines. And I'd love to see Bonnaire play a saint someday. Her face is made for it.

On some levels this movie works. Its' slow paced, languid, and the characters draw you in – particularly Sandrine Bonnaire. It's about the addiction of the game of chess and its appeal. So if you feel nothing for the game then you have been warned! The scenery on the island of Corsica is very colourful.

However it's also a somewhat self-indulgent film – it's about addiction after all. There are many long and lingering shots of Sandrine and Kevin staring at each other and then at chess pieces. Sandrine's family is so very much accommodating to her new found passion. There is certain lack of logicality – it takes years with many different chess partners to become a solid player and then participate successfully in a tournament. Still the movie does dreamily captivate.

There are movies about baseball and swimming and even pool and poker. This one is about chess. And it is a superb film, one of the few I've rated ten. Where to start? The rich photography and the stunning scenery? The captivating, believable characters? The subtleties that Europe does so well but Hollywood doesn't even understand? Perhaps the thing I liked best was the wonderful facial expressions. Anyone can learn a line. It takes much more talent to convey a story with a raised eyebrow, a cunning smile, an expression of shocked surprise. The movie is a winner even if you don't know the difference betaken a pawn and a rook. But if you play chess and understand its culture, it is especially engaging. Chess is wrongly regarded as a slow and boring game. Here it has the excitement of a bobsled run. Just a heluva great movie!

I largely agree with what others have said here. But there is one flaw that nobody seems to have noticed: not one game of chess in this movie ends with a draw. As everybody with some knowledge of the game is aware of, draws are the rule among advanced players of chess, so a tournament such as the one shown in the movie that works by elimination (quarterfinals, semifinals, final), with only one game between a pair of contestants, is simply not realistic. (The tie could be broken through a game of fast chess, but this is not shown either.) It goes without saying that the whole dramaturgy of the movie would be significantly altered by the sheer possibility of draws. To sum it up, I consider chess a poor choice for communicating the message of this movie. Choose a game that does not permit draws and the problem is solved--although then the somewhat heavy handed symbolism of the queen as the strongest piece would have to be sacrificed.

Unlike some reviewers, I am prepared to suspend disbelief and cheer for a cleaning lady - as Bonnaire's character is repeatedly referred to here - becoming a chess grand master in relatively short order.

And I have a bias in enjoying chess and the very agreeable screen presence of Bonnaire and Klein.

But I agree about logistical issues that work against an entirely successful presentation. We have practically no background on Kline's character. And there is no explanation for the one big hurtful thing he does to Bonnaire's character, which speaks to the illogical aspects of the film mentioned by other reviewers.

These are mere pebbles in one's shoe in enjoying the mutual attraction between an A-list French actor and her American counterpart - their chemistry is superb as they bring out the best in each other's characters.

The movie's worth watching for that alone, and the Corsica setting is a nice touch. But those pebbles are an annoying distraction.

This may be the best chess movie i have watched, and i watch any I can find.

--The original title to this movie is Joueuse, the feminine form of "player", which say a lot about the movie

--I think Joueuse and 'Queen to play' says it all, it has wheels within wheels regarding a woman's traditional role VS wanting more out of life without losing those things you originally love

--The makers of this movie also manage to incorporate the primary attributes a great chess player has in their character, and they do this in such a way that blends them seamlessly into the movie.

I know there are some chess movies that are 'based on true events', but if a viewer does the research, they will find that the actual facts are so far removed from the actual story, that it may as well be fiction

I found this movie to have multiple layers to it - like real life

Kevin Kline speaking French and playing chess: what's not to love? Since I spent my entire childhood believing Kevin was a French actor (from having seen French Kiss a hundred times) I was glad to rent Queen to Play and to hear him speak the language again.

Sandrine Bonnaire stars as a housecleaner who meets one of her employers, an American doctor, and starts up a platonic relationship with him. Sandrine is a wife and mother, but after a few weeks with Kevin Kline, she discovers something is missing in her life-and that something is chess. Kevin loves the game, and after he teaches her, she finds she loves it just as much. So, once a week, they chat and play chess. This isn't the most exciting movie in the world, but it's fun and shows how little gestures can mean a lot to people when they're stuck in a rut. Plus, you get to hear Kevin Kline speaking French!

I liked the movie, although it wasn't perfect. The acting is decent, although some of the interactions between people seem forced. I would bet the book was better than the film, but I haven't read it. The story is about a cleaning lady who somehow discovers she likes chess and she convinces one of her clients to teach her to play. The entire chess angle is about female emancipation and not about the game itself, though.

What I liked most about the film is that at first people are resistant to the idea, assuming that no one can do anything to get out from their predestined little box, but then they snap out of it and are supportive to the lead character. There is no villain, perhaps except the guy she beats during her first tournament, but his role is minor. The entire film is about a woman discovering herself and what she can do. An important scene is when she reads Martin Eden and interprets the end as the natural thing to do. Of course, she rejects that idea later on.

A surprising thing is that the film stars three American actors. Kevin Kline speaks perfect French with an American accent and Jennifer Beals is there for just a few scenes to inspire Sandrine Bonnaire's character to play the game. I don't know what the angle was, but surely they didn't do it for the money, which is always soul cleansing for actors.

Bottom line: if you liked Queen's Gambit, you might like this one, too. It's a very similar story of emancipation through tallent, effort and the support of others. But if you want to watch it for the chess, there is very little of it.

In a time when movies are made to shock people into feeling, this movie would not appeal. However, for those who can feel without shock...it's great! Onward I'd say the movie expresses elements of the story's plot through the actions and flow of the movie itself. The movie flow is gentle like The lead character. She doesn't manhandle Her task; it's not the game that she loves so much as how Beals character awakened Her. The lead associates that feeling with the game. Beals character tipped Her briefly and she ran with it. She found the gift left by Beals character like a key and for strength. There are many hidden messages, intended or not. The lead appeared as though she had little control over the outcome of events on her routine life. Her journey parallels the game. Wonderful soundtrack ! Thank you

I so LOVE this one. It has everything for a romantic feel good with intelligence: Sandrine B, who I adore ( see Un Ceour Simple, her role makes me cry every time), she is SO expressive, every nerve of her face can tickle , tremble, frown, an amazing aura. Will always love her ( just for comparison: J.Binoche is levels lower IMO, she's too manieristic ( and can't make me cry) . Stephane Audran is BTW another fab actress) All other actors are excellent, also the American who teaches her chess and stole her heart and mine too , only in THIS role....and oh......Jennifer Beale has a gorgeous (small) part !!! And yes,I love CHESS, watch all chess films available to me. Then we have the gorgeous countryside views and how the people talk and behave, it's just all these tiny things typical for provincial life in S-Europe, in this case France. SHE SO ROCKS. She bikes a lot, in simple but feminine skirts, over bridges , from one house to another, helping, working, meanwhile her typical FROWN shows that she has only the NEXT MOVE in her mind.....LOL . Watching her makes you feel stronger when you're in a down mood..... FEEL GOOD. I don't watch Pretty Woman. I watch this gorgeous chess lady on her bike................ ;) ;)

Several reviewers who rated this movie at 8 to 10 stars here have expressed what I thought about the movie, and I salute their observations and clarity.

Watching French films is a solitary pleasure in my household, I'm the only one, so only rarely do I get to see one, subtitles and all. This was a fun one, especially for chess players like me.

I recall Amelie, Red, White, Blue, and a few others. One thing seems consistent: French movies describe struggle but almost never resolution. Joueuse ends unresolved, right? What finally happens? You get to wonder. But that's fun, too!

Especially enjoyable is sampling the way the people live. She lives in a small apartment; she rides a bicycle downhill to work. Amenities are few; even the luxuries in the homes are basic, traditional.

I was guessing the setting was Corsica because the characters refer to going to the "mainlaind." The film definitely transports you to a different world from suburban U. S.

Kevin Kline is just a superb actor, you wouldn't know he isn't French. Sandrine Bonnaire so wonderfully embodies Helene. As some other reviewers noticed -- the facial expressions of these two characters and others (the husband and daughter, for examples) are so marvelously nuanced. When you're relying upon subtitles, the facial expressions and body language convey the overtones and subtleties that the words on the screen just can't.

Enjoy this film! I'm going to watch it again!