Jeux D'Enfants (Love Me, If You Dare)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Romantic Comedy

Certainly my MOST FAVORITE CHICK FLICK to date.

Starring:
Marion Cotillard – Sophie Kowalsky (She’s the girl who won best actress in this year’s Oscars)
Guillaume Canet -- Julien Janvier (He’s the guy from the Beach, Leo’s French friend ).

Chick flick alert, but a different kind of chick-flick. This French flick actually reminds me of that overly overrated Korean Movie .. My Sassy Girl. The film starts when they were both kids, having kids issues and they suddenly invented this game. The rules were simple, they had this cylindrical tin can as a price, and whoever gets to do the other person’s dare would win the tin can. Simple enough? Yes it was, when they were kids. It was fun watching kids do really delinquent stuff and still get away with it at the end of the day. Of course, one day they had to grow up and the dares became perverse and in a way cruel. This was one of the most cruel romantic comedy movies I’ve seen so far. It also, kind of reminded me of Amelie, where the metaphors just suddenly brings us to this visual world of unrealism. (Where julien suddenly flies on fake clouds.) The dares they did when they grew up really hurt each other. To the point where they didn’t know if their love is real of just part of the game. It's quite immature and surreal, this'd never really happen in real life. It’s not all drama and stuff. It’s very very hmm.. bittersweet.

Cap ou pas cap? -- they always said this line at the start of a dare. It was really fun to see how far they’d go for a dare!! Like their life depended on it. I loved the slap dare in particular.

La vie en rose – this was the main musical theme of this movie. You’d hear every kind of version or cover of this song through out the film.

The yellow view – i don’t know what to call this but, it seems that most French films love using this “yellow view”, like the whole scenery was yellow. I don’t know.

The end – very very weird ending for me. Hmm. It was said that the ending would depend on your mood when watching thefilm. It’s like a choose your own adventure sort of ending. It may be frustrating for some, while some are satisfied with it. I prefer the bittersweet end, where they... got..

Finale thoughts – I really really nice unique film. I still can’t get La vie en rose out of my head!! I loved everything about it, the uncertainty, the weird ending and the virtual reality of it all. It’s not your typical feel good movie. But you will certainly feel good about Guillaume Canet, I thought he was hot here. Marion Coutillard was great too. I think she was better at Sophie! Haha. (That’s why i also had to watch La vie en Rose afterwards.) I’m still addicted to it, and I wouldn’t mind watching it a hundred times over.

Short Summary bellow: (Warning if you have not seen the film, please refrain from reading the synopsis below!!)



Julien (at 8), had issues of his own, his mom was dying of some sickness i forgot to catch. Sophie(also at 8) on the other hand was a Polack, which in that time, as much as today, is a race being discriminated. They instantly became friends the moment the game started. The dares started from, Julien letting the school bus drive away with all the kids in it. Sophie, answering the teachers with “bitch”.. big-dick, boner.

A turning point was when Julien’s mom died. Julien’s dad who hated Sophie ask if she could sleep over. They did that for ten years and where easily best friends. Sophie made Julien promise not to come to her place. Julien’s dad really hated Sophie’s guts and made Julien choose between Sophie and himself. Julien went to Sophie’s place without permission and she got angry. They met up again after 4 years , Sophie finally forgiving Julien. After parting, Julien confessed his love but Sophie had to say goodbye, saying that Julien could never hurt her.

After how many years again (don’t know), Sophie’s working at a coffee shop and Julien visits her. He invites her for dinner (at the cost of removing his pants and shoes in public). Then asked sophie to attend his marriage. Sophie will be his chief witness. He asked like he was proposing, then whispered to Sophie that He could hurt her. On the wedding day, Sophie appeared and ruined it of course. The next dare was that they should not meet after 10 years.

After 10 years, we see Julien with the family and a good stable job. The kind of man his dad wanted him to be. But he was living a bland life. Sophie on the otherhand became this trophy wife to a very famous football player. Sophie sent the tin can to Julien and the game was on again. She trashed her place and said that julien did it. The police raced after him. This brought pure unadulterated joy to Julien. He was back in the game. Then an accident happened. They met up in the hospital, Sophie thought he died. She came back afterwards after this weird love connection they did. Suddenly they were in front of the hospital with Julien singing La Vie En Rose to Sophie. They reconciled. Then the last dare was to.. (wait do you really want to know? If you have not watched the film it will really really spoil you!!).. burry themselves in cement. That’s what they did. That’s how they died.