Love Me If You Dare
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Emmanuelle Grönvold, Guillaume Canet, Joséphine Lebas-Joly, Marion Cotillard, Thibault VerhaegheDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
Published: 2004-10-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-19
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Love Me If You Dare
Movie Review: Are you game?
Summary: 5 Stars
What a bold and beautiful film that director Yann Samuell has created. Rivaling that of the French hit Amelie, this film proves that creativity and emotion can go hand in hand. From the opening scenes until the final tearjerker, I was glued to the screen. I was immersed into all the characters as well as the situations around them. This is a love story to the tenth degree. Samuell spectacularly takes all genre's of film and cut and pastes them into Jeux d'enfants. This was a collage of fierce color and intense cinematography. It kept you grounded on your couch yet somehow took you to new levels of the world. His use of color, imaginative storytelling, and mastery behind the camera helped this film go from average love story to a clear representation of human emotion. To say the least, this film was perfect.
To begin, Samuell hands us two of the freshest actors to play the parts of Julien and Sophie. Unknown in American cinema, these two build that chemistry that most of the time Hollywood money cannot buy. From the moment they met at the bus stop, until the very ending scenes, we could tell that they were in love. There was no question in my mind that these two were perfect together, and what helped this development occur is the two actors that portrayed them. Their ability to control each other and also the camera was impressive. They played off each other so well that I had to remind myself that this was a fictional film, not a documentary. This amazing acting allowed me to grow attached to the characters from the beginning of the film until the end. There was not a singular scene where I felt they were in it just to collect the money. You could tell that they were excited about this film and it brightly shown through the screen.
Samuell not only takes two actors to tell his story, but also he gives them a cartoon-esque world to grow in. From the opening scene with the bus, we are shown this imaginative world similar to a fairy tale. Rules in this world are different than ours, yet it is still our Earth. That is what helps us keep grounded during this story. Some of the dares are outlandish, yet we believe them because of this world that Samuell has created and the characters he has picked for us. The different uses of camera work help build the overall tone of the film. Samuell teeters on the edge of too comical and childish, but never falls. You are constantly reminded throughout this film that it is an adult story, not for children. Yet, there are colors and images that will no doubtably evoke memories from your youth throughout this film. That is an important part of this film. This is the story of two people that never grow up. They rely on this game to keep their spirits alive, and it is through this game that they fall in love. This film reminded me of what it would be like to film an adult version of freeze-tag. He has taken a childhood game ("dare") and given us an adult spin.
This film impressed me. The colors that Samuell uses to help heighten the emotion of these two characters and build a very surreal world for us are enjoyable everytime I watch this film. He knows what he is doing with this film, and does not hold back at all. Just as you think that you have these characters figured out, he forces them apart, forcing us to grow fonder for them to reunite. This is nothing more than a film about Julien and Sophie, and while so many times we loose focus of these types of characters when creative cinematography comes into place, it never happens with this film. Samuell is a genius and presents to us a very beautiful story about love. The clever uses of many cover versions of "La Vie en Rose" will have you humming the song as this film comes to a close. I have read reviews that say it is nothing like Amelie, and I couldn't agree with them more. This is not Amelie, this is its own film with a completely different story, style, and theme. This film honorably stands on its own two feet and walks with the greatest of ease. I suggest this film to everyone who is looking for that creative story about love and games.
Grade: ***** out of *****
Summary of Love Me If You Dare
A huge hit in France, "Love Me if You Dare" takes the traditional l'amour fou scenario and runs it through a pinball machine. From childhood, Julien and Sophie engage in an obsessive battle of one-upmanship: if one of them hands a brightly colored candy tin to the other and makes a dare, the recipient is bound to honor it, no matter how destructive or dangerous the dare might be. When this wacky habit enters adulthood and begins wrecking their lives, they ought to change... but that's not how l'amour fou works. Part "Amelie"-style comedy, part dark fable, this movie has quirkiness to burn, if not always as much charm as it thinks it has. Leads Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard are ardent, although somewhat out-acted by their juvenile counterparts in the film's early section. If you're curious about what would've happened to Amelie if she took her obsession to its logical conclusion, hop aboard. "--Robert Horton"Similar DVD Movies
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