Le Week-End (opens in Cleveland April 18th exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre)

[LE WEEK-END opens in Cleveland on Friday April 18 th exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

An old English married couple take a trip to Paris hoping to rekindle their romance in LE WEEK-END. Husband Nick (Jim Broadbent) is a professor who has just recently lost his job for making an inappropriate comment about a student's hairstyle. At one time full of passion and potential, Nick pretty much stumbles through life, making bad judgments not just at work but in his dealings with wife Meg (Lindsay Duncan). As a result Meg finds herself having to carry most of the weight in trying to make something out of the couple's vacation, and it begins to take a toll.

In the midst of all this, Nick runs into old friend Morgan (Jeff Goldblum) who, seeing the couple kiss outside a restaurant, mistakenly believes their relationship to be healthier than it really is. Morgan invites the couple to a dinner party at his home. By this point Nick and Meg are on the verge of divorce, but the party provides both further obstacles and opportunities for their relationship.

Directed by Roger Michell from a script by Hanif Kureishi (who previously collaborated on THE MOTHER and VENUS), LE WEEK-END is the kind of movie that largely consists of good actors talking to each other using smart, witty dialouge. The characters certainly have their quirks, notably Meg's affinity for shoplifting and other petty crimes which at times threatens to feel just a little too contrived, but the film nonetheless does a good job at depicting its central relationship in a way that feels honest and insightful. 3 out of 4 stars.