'The Order of the Phoenix' is magical indeed Here's a movie quiz: There's a dramedy about this woman who knows she won't feel complete until she bags a man, a woman whose mom is constantly nagging her about snagging a husband. The question: Did this retro love story hit theaters in 1944 or 1954? Trick question, because it's being released today.
The movie, "Broken English," seems even more dated and tired because it stars one of our most of-the-moment actresses, Parker Posey, as a man-hungry gal who is wrong when she thinks she has bad luck with men. In fact, she has disastrous luck with men. That's why she eventually heads to Paris in search of a guy whose name, number and address she doesn't have, unless you count "somewhere in Paris" as an address.
Wan and monotonously fond of close-ups, "Broken English" thinks big yuks can be mined from those crazy French accents, as when Posey hears, "I hope you find happiness" as "I hope you find a penis." (Stop. Ze sides, zey are splitting.
) Up until the ending, which is stolen almost word for word (and city for city) from the Paris-set "Before Sunset," "Broken English" plays like a lower-voltage version of "Lost in Translation," minus Bill Murray's sweetly discombobulated performance. "Broken English," "Lost in Translation" - the titles are even similar, but "English" lacks "Translation's" insight into relationships and deft humor. Posey does what she can - her distinctive style is always worth watching, even when her character has a trust fund and whines a lot - but she has too big of a mountain to climb: writer/director Zoe Cassavetes' listless script and tedious direction.
Chris Hewitt can be reached at chewitt@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5552.
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