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Boyfriends and Girlfriends

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This is one of the most insightful films on friendships and love relationships between men and women. It explores being infatuated with someone who you have nothing in common with and being friends with someone who you are not attracted to, and then deciding which is more important: physical attraction or common interests. James Joyce once said that a man and a woman could never be friends because of sex. This film proves him otherwise. I was thinking about this film for a few days after I saw it. Unlike most American movies, this film leaves you with something to think about. I highly recommend anyone to purchase or view this video.

This review refers to the Fox Lorber DVD World Class Cinema DVD Edition of "Boyfriends and Girlfriends"...

The final entry in Eric Rohmer's series of "Comedies and Proverbs" opens with this simple statement..."My friends' friends are my friends". A simple enough meaning..unless..we are talking matters of the heart. Then things could get a little complicated, as they do in this sweet and endearing French romantic comedy.

"Boyfriends and Girlfriends" from 1987 is one of those wonderful films that has staying power no matter how old it gets. It's a film about relationships...whether they be of a romantic nature or an enduring friendship, we see that times may change, but love, in any language(but especially in French), will always win out.

So in our little circle of friends in this story, we have Blanche and Lea, two young women, who although very different from each other, have become fast friends. There's the handsome and popular Alexandre, who Blanche has her eye on, but seems to be getting no where with, and last but certainly not least is Lea's boyfriend Fabien. Lea's and Fabien's romance is a little rocky, on the outs one second and hopelessly in love the next.
So far so good?....Now the fun begins...The gals tempt the fates,each devloping an attachment to the other's love, (this is where the matters of the heart get a little complicated), and who will wind up with who is anybody's guess!

The young stars(including Emmanuelle Chaulet and Sophie Renoir) are enchanting and will captivate your heart, as they try to work things out for themselves. Eric Rohmer's subtle wittiness, and his feel for human nature will leave you smiling.

Fox Lorber has brought to us some fabulous films in it's World Class Cinema Collection. This is one of them. The DVD includes filmographies, and English subtitles(which do not have the option to turn off).

Merci and enjoy...Laurie

also recommended:
Three Colors Trilogy (Red / White / Blue) [Import](All-region)(Remastered)
Antonia`s Line ~ Oscar Winning Original Version [Import, All-region] (Dvd)

Another title of the famous " comedies and proverbs " cinematographic cycle of Eric Rohmer is now available in the DVD standard. I don't know whether the literal translation of the french proverb - the friends of my friends are my friends - does ring a bell in english speaking amazonians, but the various scenes of BOYFRIENDS AND GIRLFRIENDS illustrates, in a Rohmerian way of course, this french proverb.

So, let's admire one more time the subtle smartness of the dialogs and the actors who don't play a character but create a character by the sole charm of their ingenuousness, helped by a screenplay magistrally written.

With Eric Rohmer,Woody Allen and a few others, I know for sure that I'm going to pass a great evening and that I won't regret later these two hours. With years passing by, time becomes more valuable and intellectual pleasure more selective. So let's hope for more Rohmer movies to come.

A scene access, subtitles one can't remove and filmographies as bonus features. Images and sound surprisingly good for a Winstar release.

A healthy DVD.

A young woman, Blanche (the lovely Emmanuelle Chaulet), works in the City Hall of a trendy New Town near Paris (somewhat to his discredit, Rohmer's films tend to occur almost always in middle class and upper middle class milieus, seldom in working class neighborhoods and never in the immigrants building projects). Having recently arrived there, Blanche lives quite a lonely life, until she becomes friends with another young woman, Lea (Sophie Renoir), through which she met her boyfriend Fabien (Eric Viellard), and an acquaintance of the couple, Alexandre (François-Eric Gendron). Basically, the movie follows the time honored plot of exchange of relationships. A is with B, and C with D, but then A will start a liaison with D, which will make C jealous, and would start going with B in revenge and so forth. The title in French is a pun: the boyfriend of my friend would (could) become my boyfriend. Rohmer is known to be a political conservative, but here he is hardly a moralist, since he examines the sexual freedom of today's youth without condemning it. The movie may seem to some to be slow and talky, but these characters are believable and appealing (if somewhat shallow and a bit better looking than ordinary).

"Boyfriends and Girlfriends" (or in its original French title, "L'ami de mon amie", that is, "The friend of my friend") is the sixth film in Eric Rohmer's "Comedies and Proverbs" series, and my favourite so far. This movie is entertaining, and even somewhat funny at times, but it also makes you think about the nature of love, friendship and relationships, giving the spectator food for thought regarding those subjects.

The proverb on which ""Boyfriends and Girlfriends" is based is "Les amis de mes amis sont mes amis" ("the friends of my friends are my friends"). That proverb makes reference to the plot of this movie, something you will only understand fully once you finish watching it. However, I can give you some hints beforehand :)

The two main characters are Blanche (Emmanuelle Chaulet) and Leah (Sophie Renoir), two very different girls that strike a friendship. Blanche is shy, responsible and quiet, she has no boyfriend but likes Alexandre (François-Eric Gendron), an acquaintance of Leah's boyfriend, Fabien (Eric Viellard). Leah, on the other hand, is an outgoing and unconventional woman, accustomed to doing exactly what she feels like doing. She likes her boyfriend, but doesn't think their relationship will last, because they are too different.

Leah wants to help Blanche to begin a relationship with Alexandre, but Alexandre doesn't seem interested in Blanche, even though he pays a lot of attention to Leah, who happens to be exactly the kind of girl he is fond of. Blanche, on the other hand, slowly but steadily starts to realise that she has a lot in common with Fabien, who seems to like her a lot, even too much, if that is possible.

Do those hints seem interesting? Because, truth to be told, they lead to a mess of relationships and mistaken situations, something that somehow ends turning into an excellent movie, with plenty of the kind of dialogues that make Rohmer's films so unique. In my opinion, this is one of Rohmer's best films, and that is no small feat. Highly recommended!

Belen Alcat

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

In French it's called "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" and it's set around the time the movie was made in 1987. We meet Blanche (played with great intensity by Emmanuelle Chaulet) who lives in a new town near Paris, Cergy-Pontoise (known for its ultra-modern architecture). She's an ordinary civil servant working in the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. When she runs into a slightly younger college student at a computer school, Lea, they strike up a fast friendship.

Keep in mind that for those who are looking for a lot of action and sudden plot reversals, you will not find it here. Boyfriends and Girlfriends is primarily dialogue driven as well as an intimate character study and if you are willing to put up with the glacial pacing, then you will find this film quite compelling.

We soon discover that Lea is quite different than her newly found friend, Blanche. Lea is a 'player' and she bemoans the fact that her current boyfriend, Fabien, has "no initiative" and with him, all her games "fall flat". She hints that maybe an older man would suit her better. Blanche, on the other hand, has fallen for Alexandre, a slightly older guy who has a Ph.D in engineering and works for the local 'Power and Light' company. From the get go, Lea recognizes that Alexandre is not Blanche's type since he's a "ladies man" and is "not serious minded". Blanche, however, sticks to her adolescent infatuation and when they both run into the handsome Lothario at a local restaurant, she's tongue-tied and comes to the conclusion that she's made a fool of herself in his eyes.

Lea soon announces to Blanche that she's taking a vacation to get away from Fabien. She reasons that perhaps there are more fish in the sea that she can catch. Lea gives Blanche her French Open ticket, where she sits next to Fabien and a disinterested Alexandre who's with a friend, Adrienne. Later, Adrienne, a gossip, urges Blanche to go after Fabien; while her remarks are inappropriate, she still serves up the prescient remark that Fabien and Lea are "trapped". Soon, Blanche and Fabien end up seeing each other. They enjoy windsurfing together, a sport which Lea has no interest in. Before you know it, Blanche and Fabien find that they like each other more and more. Before kissing Fabien, Lea cries not because they're "tears of joy' but rather she still has some "silly girlish ideas" (her infatuation with Alexandre). Blanche can't repress her sexual desires for Fabien so she sleeps with him but makes him promise that it's a one time deal and that he shouldn't tell Lea or anyone else about their rendezvous.

Soon we realize that Rohmer's strategy is to document the crisis for these four young people in the summer before they "commit" to one another. Lea makes one last attempt to get back with Fabien but soon afterward at a café, reveals to Blanche that she's left him for good. And after Alexandre joins them at the café, Blanche realizes (after listening to Alexandre's banter) that she's been deluding herself about him, all along. Blanche actually gets physically sick and excuses herself from the table, leaving Lea and Alexandre to find out whether they're really meant for one another.

In probably the best scene in the film, Lea proves that she has the mettle to go 'toe to toe' with Alexandre. Her gambit is to confirm that Alexandre has no interest in Blanche. He immediately denies that he ever displayed any interest in her ("Did I lead her on?") and then bluntly states that "she's boring". Alexandre asks Lea if she'd like to come over to his place and Lea smartly replies, "I'm too young to set up house".

Lea and Alexandre's conversation is interrupted by a scene with Blanche and Adrienne. Rohmer establishes that Adrienne is the odd woman out. Unlike the two couples, she's basically a fool who's not serious about getting involved in a relationship. Adrienne mentions a "young painter--he seems sensitive" and Rohmer mocks her by utilizing a fade out to end the scene as she continues blabbing about nothing (the only time Rohmer appears to 'fade out' in the entire film).

We cut back to Lea and Alexandre's extended conversation--Lea states she likes to be wooed and wonders why Alexandre never did anything "wild" months before. He snaps his fingers and humorously offers a 'wild scenario': "Let's runaway. I'll kidnap you"! Lea doesn't find this "wild" at all so Alexandre bluntly states, "come live with me". Lea concedes that "she might" but it won't be for six months. Alexandre has met his match. Lea offers a deal where they both agree not to see anyone else for six months.

Meanwhile, Blanche meets Fabien and confesses that she was in "love with an image" and now realizes that Alexandre wasn't for her all along. The crisis continues for a moment when Blanche misunderstands Lea when they meet (she believes Lea has been talking about Fabien but actually was talking about Alexandre all along).

Rohmer wraps things up nicely with a pleasant, happy ending. Lea and Blanche's friendship remains solid despite being sorely tested by their decision to begin new relationships. The bigger picture is that both couples are now ready to shack up for the long-term. Rohmer suggests that even the philandering Alexandre is ready to commit as he has met his match with Lea. And Blanche and Fabien, the ones who refuse to 'play act', find mutual attraction through their mutual 'sensitive' nature.

Boyfriends and Girlfriends could have used a little tighter editing especially in regards to the long-winded exposition; but with its great dialogue and Rohmer's ability to chronicle each characters' inner turmoil, this is a worthwhile film for the discerning and patient film goer!

Éric Rohmer (1920) first challenged traditional Hollywood cinema with his French New Wave cycle of films, "Six Moral Tales," which he completed in 1972 before commencing another six-film cycle, "Comedies and Proverbs," each based on a different proverb.

For those new to Rohmer, this film is an excellent starting point. Based on the proverb, "my friends' friends are my friends," Boyfriends and Girlfriends (L'Ami de mon amie, also known as My Girlfriend's Boyfriend) (1987) is the final film in Rohmer's insightful "Comedies & Proverbs" six-film series. It tells the delightful story of beautiful and conservative, 24-year-old Blanche (Emmanuelle Chaulet), who is befriended by the sensual 22-year-old Léa (Sophie Renoir) in the town of Cergy-Pontoise near Paris. Blanche is interested in Alexandre (François-Eric Gendron), who hardly notices her, and Léa is restless in her relationship with her boyfriend Fabien (Eric Viellard). Their lives become complicated when Fabien takes an interest in Blanche, and Alexandre takes an interest in Léa; Blanche and Léa decide to exchange boyfriends. Rich in relationship dialogue, like many of Rohmer's films, Boyfriends and Girlfriends illustrates how the course of love never did run smooth, particularly for his young characters. Hopefully Criterion will remaster Rohmer's "Comedies and Proverbs" series, and then offer it as a boxed collection similar its "Six Moral Tales" boxed set.

G. Merritt

This movie is great. The hot girl you like, is completely disinterested in you, while her dorky friend, who you barely notice, pines away dreaming about marrying you. Your best friend, has a nice girlfriend who he treats like crap, and he 2x's her when he lands the girl YOU like. Finally, you realize its the nice girl you should be dating as you get to know her. Eric Roehmer must have gone to my high school! No wait! This is the same story since the beginning of time. Great movie. He left out the part about when you finally meet the right girl, every hot girl you missed out on comes back, or better yet, your girlfriends hot sister, and wants you to cheat on her. Then when you wont, she lies and says you tried to your girlfriend. Ha ha. Biatches are SOOO catty... meeeeooowww. .. thats MY movie. This movie is as real as it gets about relationships.

I must not be an Eric Rohmer fan. This is the second of his movies I've seen, after A Summer's Tale, which I disliked although I'm a big fan of Melvil Poupaud. Both movies are trite and tedious.

Boyfriends & Girlfriends is a boring movie with boring, shallow people talking nonstop about themselves, which, from what I've read, is Rohmer's specialty. When I ask myself, Why would he be interested in people like that? I have no answer. Maybe he identifies with them. Maybe he finds them fascinating.

I love movies in which nothing much happens except character development, but there has to be something interesting about the characters. The most interesting thing in this movie is an unnaturally clear, turquoise-colored, antiseptic lake that a couple go windsurfing on. I've never seen a lake like that in my life. These shallow people live in a sterile, artificial city that looks like a brand new shopping mall (and it's a real place, not made up for the movie), so maybe the lake is artificial too, like a gigantic swimming pool on a golf course.

Everything about this movie screams emptiness and artificiality, so at least it is consistent. Maybe vacant people in a vacant city symbolize something important to Rohmer and his fans, but they just bore me. I'm very interested in lots of things, but spending almost two hours watching petulant, spoiled, shallow people irritate and bore each other isn't one of them.

I'm giving it a star for consistency, which alone is enough to lift it a little way off the bottom of the barrel.

Released in 88, this Rohmer flick features a pair of flashdance type hotties, clad in very unfortunate highwaisted mommy jeans, all acid-washed and very late 80s. It's a love quadrangle, of sorts. The men fare much better, fashionwise. They all live in a soulless Parisian suburb unlike anything exposed to most tourists. It looks worse than an American urban renewal nightmare. Some silly relationship posturings comprise the film. Typically French. Nothing happens, but you enjoy the time spent anyway.