‘Le Beau monde’: Film Review — hollywoodreporter.com

Honore de Balzac’s classic novel Le Pere Goriot was one of the first great books to deal with what would become a frequent plot in French literature: a young man (or occasionally, young woman) making the journey from the countryside to the City of Lights, where they would find work, romance and prosperity, but always at a price. Offering up a contemporary take on the iconic Paris-Province tale, yet failing to give it any real passion or gravitas, Julie Lopes Curval’s Le Beau monde follows a 20-something girl from Normandy who meets a handsome young Parisian, leaving her friends and family behind as she tries to make headway in the fashion world. It’s a familiar story that’s handled with delicacy in places, yet lacks some much-needed intensity, especially with two highly attractive, low-energy protagonists who seem to have been teleported in from a mumblecore film. A mid-August local release should yield small returns, while fests (including a Toronto premiere) and niche art house distributors may want to check out this minor addition to the genre.

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