You want to scream a warning when Nora accepts a dinner invitation from the smooth-talking actor (Justin Theroux) staying in the exclusive Manhattan hotel where she works. Only she is surprised when he appears on a talk show the next day crowing about the love of his life: the costar of his new picture. So when Nora meets the flirty young Frenchman Julien (Melvil Poupaud), she holds back -- for a moment.
Soon the two are spending every available moment together. The only problem: He is leaving for France in a couple of days. Will she leave the life she has built to be with the man she loves?
If this part of the story sounds familiar, maybe it's because you've seen much of it -- twice -- in the superior "Before Sunrise" and its sequel, "Before Sunset." Still, there are reasons to catch "Broken English," chief among them Posey's winning performance as a woman unsure whether to trust her romantic instincts. The movie itself is, the first effort from writer-director Zoe Cassavetes, but not the first attempt by one of John Cassavetes' offspring to ride the family name.
As with films by brother Nick ("The Namesake"), expect the ubiquitous casting of mom Gena Rowlands, here as Nora's mother, who offers some pithy observations about the plight of modern women who, she says, have too many choices. Look deeper and you may see a reflection of Posey's career. Long labeled Queen of the Indies for her work in low-budget movies, the actress shares the character's penchant for saying yes a bit too often, instead of waiting for that long-overdue breakout role that will bring her the acclaim she deserves.
"Broken English" isn't that movie by a long shot, but it will have to do until the right one comes along. You want to scream a warning when Nora accepts a dinner invitation from the smooth-talking actor (Justin Theroux) staying in the exclusive Manhattan hotel where she works.
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