Customer Reviews

Hello Goodbye

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3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Does Shalom represent Hello or Goodbye? Neither. It means peace in a comprehensive way. You might feel peaceful while watching this movie, but it will likely be due to the fact that you are sleeping. Well, maybe you won't sleep. Maybe you'll just be annoyed at the 'artistic' implementation of abrupt audio cuts. I don't know you, so...

This is an independent film. It is nicely packaged, but the film is a low-quality grain. The acting is solid. The story is a slow paced, natural narrative, which can either be charming or grate the nerves. Cinematography is not too bad. In fact, some shots are inspired.

Mme Gaash's behavior is a bit confusing, but that's a part of the tale, so I won't go into that. It is in the script and whatever Ardant is forced to do, she does with dignity. Nice. Depardieu reminds me why I diet. I forgot how chubby he was and I guess it wasn't too long ago. Good job on the weight loss, Gerard! Mozel Tov! He gives a reliable performance in this role--believably this M. Gaash.

Although the direction was strong enough to support these wonderful actors, I'm not sure the script allows us to care. It's a storyline we already know: 1. Go to Israel. 2. Have various problems. 3. Adore Israel. 4. Hate the struggle. 5. Leave or don't leave... It's so common.

I don't know. I wouldn't recommend against this film. If you like truly, traditionally independent, you won't be disappointed. If you like Ardant, Depardieu, or Jean Benguigui, they are faithful and professional-- even committed.

Although, M. Gaash has a belated bris, the film doesn't really explore religious issues. It doesn't really explore anything. Think of it as basic voyeurism. It's people watching through a dirty window.

Yeah, that's it. People watching. I'd watch it again.

We rented 'Hello Goodbye' for two reasons: (a) we're enthusiastic supporters of Israeli cinema and you never know when you're going to uncover the next The Syrian Bride or Broken Wings (among other gems); and (b) we're massive fans of Lior Ashkenazi and will watch anything in which he makes an appearance (see, for example, Walk on Water, Late Marriage - two unsurpassed viewing experiences). He plays a smaller part here but is no less compelling. 'Hello Goodbye' is actually a French movie, but has one foot firmly planted in Tel Aviv. Plus, there's Ashkenazi. So, why not give it a go?

It is a pleasant enough movie. Yes, I realize that that's a very lukewarm endorsement, but it's the best I can do. If you're interested in Israeli culture, watching how the country tackles assimilation - especially as it relates to the complicated process of 'Making Aliyah' - and seeing how the secular and religious co-exist, then by all means watch 'Hello Goodbye.' Though shtick-y at times, the movie does do a good job at detailing the disruption in lives and hard periods of adjustment that are part and parcel of a wholesale life shift that Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant's characters undertake here. But is this film up to the standards set by Eytan Fox (Walk on Water, The Bubble) and Eran Riklis (The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree)? Hardly not.

Plus, there's the increasingly difficult task of passing off Depardieu as a leading, romantic man, the mere image of which frightened my wife half to death. Enough of that.

J guess I only have myself to blame that I actually watched this thing all the way through. The story was a little bit unbelievable - to leave Paris to live in a seedy part of Tel Aviv -but with Ardant and Depardieu - two actors without peer - there must be some overall enjoyment. But sad to say no - it is a very disjointed effort attempting to create humor out of exploding suitcases, tough Israeli immigration officers and a typically incompetent bureaucracy. The well remembered contrasts between the old and the new in Tel Aviv - the bazaar/markets adjacent to the David InterContintental- were just as I remembered them. Unfortunately as noted by other reviewers Depardieu's weight is a distraction and his Jewishness is a stretch. The worst, the very worst was the musical soundtrack - why the music was selected is a mystery. Brief bursts of Dee Clark's version of "Little Bitty Pretty One" appear out of the blue at high db levels for no apparent reason. A shambles of a movie, made no better by a decidedly weird interview with Ms. Ardant showing someone (? the director) around Tel Aviv, a city she clearly loves.
Painful