CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 06/22/07

Broken, Damaged, Needs Work

By william freeman

Broken English

Zoe Cassavetes (also directed)

Nora is a self-medicating career woman in her early thirties, still single and surrounded by married friends, couples, and family members who constantly nag her about not being in one of those first two groups. Then she meets Julian, a traveling Frenchman whose simultaneously forward and laid-back approach to love goes against everything she believes and makes her question her life. It would be hard to say Broken English does anything wrong, and the script by writer-director Zoe Cassavetes hits all the required, expected points in a movie about a woman seeking true love. The thing is, when all's said and done, the film is just plain dull. The story is familiar to the point of being cliché, and pretty much every character is two-dimensional, existing only to gasp out a line or three of dialogue we've heard other characters say in other, better movies. Any fresh, well-oiled sections there may be are overshadowed by the dozens of ones in desperate need of maintenance.

Broken English
Magnolia Pictures
Rated PG-13; 96 min.

Buy tickets now

William Freeman is a freelance writer in Los Angeles. His first major work—Lizard Men from the Center of the Earth—was regarded as a landmark of popular fiction by most of his third grade class. All of his writing, understandably, has gone downhill since then.

Broken English courtesy Magnolia Pictures

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Big Picture

Features that cover all aspects of screenwriting, from our "Seven Best" lists to analysis of old favorites and new classics. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE