Oh, those French. Specifically - oh, those male French film directors. If you had to - right now - come up with a parody of the classic French film you might easily come up with the plot of THE GIRL CUT IN TWO. Distinguished author in his late 50s, lovely life, lovely tolerant wife, lovely house, minted, all that... meets a foxy 20something weathergirl (Ludivine Sagnier) at a book signing and proceeds to get off with her. She doesn't take much persuasion. A trip to an auction where the author splashes the cash in purchasing a rare first edition of 19th century erotica (admittedly, this is a pretty irresistible gambit - think of it. Auctions are competitive and you can only win by having more money and guts than the other guy. Plus, in this case, the fact of forking over a few grand for antique literary porn establishes our mid-life libertine as both an intellectual and a rake. Yep, auctions are definitely the right venue to take a certain kind of date. Something to bear in mind. Though, like a lot of these things, it prob only works if you're French.)
The complication in this case is that the foxy weathergirl is also being pursued by a spoilt rich kid of the most brattish persuasion. So, just in case there was any lingering doubt that GIRL CUT IN TWO was reflecting a middle-aged guys fantasy, not only does the old geezer get the girl but he makes young blokes look stupid. Where the older bloke is well-read, urbane, thoughtful, (He speaks in philosohical aphorisms) with a sorted life full of tangled but somehow still dignified relationships - Younger men are all idiots. And not only are they idiotic, but they regularly commit what is possibly the last capital crime left on the French statute book. They are gauche.
This film is interesting and engaging for about ten minutes and then becomes increasingly - and disturbingly - ludicrous. Francois Berleand as the prize-winning director - I mean author, author dammit - phones in a certain suave charm and the foxy weathergirl is sensationally foxy. But it's not enough. Not nearly enough. And if it's not enough for me (A middle-aged bloke who wouldn't mind some of that weather girl action, and could easily handle watching the pretty young boys making fools of themselves) then it certainly won't be anywhere good enough for you...
This is meant to be Claude Chabrol's best film in ages, but with THE GIRL CUT IN TWO the Veteran French New Wave Master (and there seems to be an actual law that means that he has to be described like this) misses the mark again and where he was aiming for a gentle may to September comedy, the film actually suggests us an insight into a mirthless, masturbatory dotage.
If I gave stars this would get 2/5...
