Film review - 'A Paper Wedding' By JEFF MENELLNEW YORK -- A much sweeter, subtler and more credible version of ''Green Card,'' ''A Paper Wedding'' does contain many scenes similar to the Andie MacDowell-Gerard Depardieu hit, but here each one is more elegantly played.
This charming Canadian gem, starring the lovely Genevieve Bujold, should prove to be a compatible mate to the art-house crowd. Its simplicity and gentle humor make it one of the few truly heartwarming films out there, almost guaranteeing it a warm reception.
Bujold has never looked more comfortable in a role, nor has she ever looked so naturally beautiful as she appears here. It's not simply that all brides are beautiful, or that director of photography Sylvain Brault's camera is in love with her (which it obviously is). It's that Bujold's inner beauty, and her character's, are in full bloom on the screen.
She plays Claire, a 39-year-old college professor who, though she's in love with her lover, Milosh (Teo Spychalski), is unhappy being just a mistress. She would love to do something with him while ''fully dressed.''
Her inner loneliness sets the stage for her willingness, after initial reluctance, to marry Pablo (Manuel Aranguiz), a Chilean political refugee whose visa has expired. Immigration is after him, but if he is sent back to his home country he is sure to be tortured, imprisoned or worse. His lawyer happens to be Claire's sister, Annie (Dorothee Berryman), whose bright idea it was for this seemingly mismatched pair to get married.
Naturally, there is an overzealous immigration official, Bouchard (Gilbert Sicotte), out to prove that their marriage is a farce, who keeps them under observation 24 hours a day. This necessitates that they live together in order to fool Bouchard. However, they need only stay under one roof for three days until they take the immigration exam, which will determine if the government considers them legally married.
In that time, they slowly reveal themselves to one another, peeling off layer after protective layer. An unspoken bond develops between them. Their emotions speak louder than their words, but each pretends not to hear. Their future, whether together or apart, is as much a mystery to them as it to us.
Again, the plot will sound quite familiar to anyone who saw ''Green Card, '' yet many films with similar plots are quite different in quality and effectiveness. ''A Paper Wedding'' is its own film entirely. There is nothing broad or predictable about it. And there is a natural, believable chemistry between Bujold and Aranguiz that keeps the film in the realm of reality. Director Michel Brault allows the story to build at a necessarily even pace, which enables the viewer to absorb all the dynamics that take place between the different characters.
''A Paper Wedding'' is a tender no comma here julie little ceremony you'll be happy to attend.
A PAPER WEDDING
A Capitol Entertainment Release
Director Michel Brault
Writers Jefferson Lewis, Andree Pelletier
Director of photography Sylvain Brault
Editor Jacques Gagne
Music supervisorMartin Fournier
Color
In French and Spanish with subtitles
Cast:
Claire Genevieve Bujold
Pablo Manuel Aranguiz
Annie Dorothee Berryman
Milosh Teo Spychalski
Gaby Monique Lepage
Bouchard Gilbert Sicotte
Running time - 90 minutes
No MPAA Rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Bujold has never looked more comfortable in a role, nor has she ever looked so naturally beautiful as she appears here. It's not simply that all brides are beautiful, or that director of photography Sylvain Brault's camera is in love with her (which it obviously is). It's that Bujold's inner beauty, and her character's, are in full bloom on the screen.
She plays Claire, a 39-year-old college professor who, though she's in love with her lover, Milosh (Teo Spychalski), is unhappy being just a mistress. She would love to do something with him while ''fully dressed.''
Her inner loneliness sets the stage for her willingness, after initial reluctance, to marry Pablo (Manuel Aranguiz), a Chilean political refugee whose visa has expired. Immigration is after him, but if he is sent back to his home country he is sure to be tortured, imprisoned or worse. His lawyer happens to be Claire's sister, Annie (Dorothee Berryman), whose bright idea it was for this seemingly mismatched pair to get married.
Naturally, there is an overzealous immigration official, Bouchard (Gilbert Sicotte), out to prove that their marriage is a farce, who keeps them under observation 24 hours a day. This necessitates that they live together in order to fool Bouchard. However, they need only stay under one roof for three days until they take the immigration exam, which will determine if the government considers them legally married.
In that time, they slowly reveal themselves to one another, peeling off layer after protective layer. An unspoken bond develops between them. Their emotions speak louder than their words, but each pretends not to hear. Their future, whether together or apart, is as much a mystery to them as it to us.
Again, the plot will sound quite familiar to anyone who saw ''Green Card, '' yet many films with similar plots are quite different in quality and effectiveness. ''A Paper Wedding'' is its own film entirely. There is nothing broad or predictable about it. And there is a natural, believable chemistry between Bujold and Aranguiz that keeps the film in the realm of reality. Director Michel Brault allows the story to build at a necessarily even pace, which enables the viewer to absorb all the dynamics that take place between the different characters.
''A Paper Wedding'' is a tender no comma here julie little ceremony you'll be happy to attend.
A PAPER WEDDING
A Capitol Entertainment Release
Director Michel Brault
Writers Jefferson Lewis, Andree Pelletier
Director of photography Sylvain Brault
Editor Jacques Gagne
Music supervisorMartin Fournier
Color
In French and Spanish with subtitles
Cast:
Claire Genevieve Bujold
Pablo Manuel Aranguiz
Annie Dorothee Berryman
Milosh Teo Spychalski
Gaby Monique Lepage
Bouchard Gilbert Sicotte
Running time - 90 minutes
No MPAA Rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 6/24/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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