Bebe Neuwirth Movie:

Editorial Review:
With the help of his lawyer, Georges (Gérard Depardieu), a composer and one-time petty thief who grew up in poverty, attempts to escape his life in Paris and begin anew in America by illegally marrying Bronte (Andie MacDowell), a prim and repressed young lady from a privileged life in Connecticut. Bronte, who has agreed to the scheme for her own self-serving reasons, is exasperated when the Immigration & Naturalization Service investigates their case, and she and Georges, whom she detests, must spend time together studying each other's lives to avoid disaster. The fallout, and how it ends, is infinitely more delightful than your run-of-the-mill Hollywood romantic comedy, and the very ending itself stops deliciously short of where Hollywood would feel compelled to drag the story. Fine performances are given by MacDowell, Depardieu--who is fiercely charming pounding the keyboard of a Steinway at an upper class Manhattan dinner party--and Bebe Neuwirth, who is perfect as an upper-class child turned artist who revels in her irresponsibility. --James McGrath

Green Card [Region 2] Reviews:
That Kiss....
2009-10-03 - This movie did drag on a bit for me in the middle but OMG that last scene, the parting kiss? Well worth the wait. I'd want to see this movie more than once.

An Interesting Twist on Romantic Comedies
2009-09-30 - To be honest, I don't remember how I heard about Green Card. I think it was as simple as seeing it in a video-rental store and thinking, "What the hey?" At any rate, it was one of the first DVDs I ordered when expanding my own library a couple of years later.

Bronte is a single woman set on living in an apartment with its own greenhouse. She would need to be married to do so, so a friend suggests the unorthodox: marry a stranger that she will never see again. Enter George, a Parisian on the verge of deportation. As romantic comedies go, Bronte and George are forced not only see each other, but even live together while the INS gauges the validity of their marriage. Poor George tries to give Bronte breaks from his intrusion in her life, but fate keeps shoving him back in her path. The pair is highly mismatched, and it is that which makes the sexual tension between them both surprising and pleasing.

The only reason I gave this movie four stars was because of Andie McDowell. There are scenes where George's slovenly behavior drives Bronte (McDowell) up the wall, but instead of releasing real human rage on him, she states her insults in an even-paced, albeit loud, monotone. It wasn't enough to ruin the movie, but it did make me frown, just a moment. She does, however, redeem herself in the final scene, giving a display that made me proud.

Gérard Depardieu makes up for any shortcomings in spades. His talent overflows in this film and makes you see NOT Mr. Depardieu, but George, an immigrant desperate to stay in the US. Even with his unkempt habits and knack to get in the way, George manages to emerge an endearing character, one that you want to see succeed and get exactly what he wants.

Overall, Green Card triumphs to be a sweet, slightly quirkier-than-most romantic comedy, one that I enjoy pulling out now and again. I especially grow nostalgic for a viewing when watering my houseplants.

smile and tear
2009-08-05 -

i saw the movie at the time it played at the cinemas and i am glad that it belongs now to my collection. a movie with a smile and a little tear!

More Thoughtful than Appearances
2009-06-08 - It is fascinating how people have such diverse and even incompatible understandings of films and books, not to mention other slices of life.

My take on "Green Card,", unlike other Amazon reviewers, is that it is a fairly serious film, despite its wonderful comic moments and tone. I saw an unusual plea for the strength, mystery and nobility of marriage in this engaging account of two people who enter into a contrived marriage for their self-seeking ends. The film actually works for me on two different levels, one as a metaphor for all marriages and another as a sly attempt to break through the modern mentality that sees the institution of marriage as irrelevant.

In the film two perfect strangers to each other marry to achieve their individual goals--Georges the Frenchman to get a green card and Bronte the American girl to get a prized apartment with a rare greenhouse. Their plan was to quickly divorce afterwards and never see each other again. They are busy pursuing personal ends when this unusual arrangement throws both of their lives into disorder. Because the INS is suspicious, they are forced to spend time together to prepare for an examination of their marriage. As a result they fall in love by the story's conclusion and emotionally assent to their legal status as husband and wife.

In every marriage the man and woman bring many personal and selfish goals into the relationship. They are not necessarily getting married out of pure, selfless love for the other and they may not be truly committed to the marital relationship. The emotional power of love acts as a certain force to overcome some of this natural selfishness. Love is typically the force that overcomes earlier resistance to marriage but it is not enough to make marriage work. Marriage also requires a foundational sacred meaning to make people take their marriage promises seriously. When they do so, their love grows in maturity, loyalty and selflessness.

Obviously most people are not plotting to deliberately use marriage as a temporary instrument to achieve a personal wish like Georges and Bronte. But we are not so different from them as we might think when we use marriage for personal wish fulfillment, rather than as a sacred relationship of community building. We may feel caught in the marriage web wondering how we got into this mess in the first place, much
like Bronte does in the film. But when we stay committed to our spouse and keep our marriage vows, love grows. In an abbreviated manner, Georges and Bronte too experience the growth of true love after getting married and experiencing the trials of being chained to each other.

I also saw the film as a clever endorsement of marriage in an age where many people don't take marriage seriously, either not believing that marriage is important or necessary like many Europeans or reducing marriage to meaning whatever they want it to mean. In this light the doorman in Bronte's hotel could be viewed as an advocate for a deeper and more profound understanding of marriage. His life is so far removed from the trendy liberalism of Bronte and the streetwise permissiveness of Georges, both of whom were destined for a lifetime of serial relationships and may never have married anyone absent this quirky twist of circumstance. His admittedly brief role reminds the viewer of the many decent and unassuming people who take their responsibilities, particularly of marriage and parenthood, seriously. By the end of the film, Bronte and Georges are becoming more like the doorman and less like themselves. They both speak tenderly and with appreciation of each other's good and unique qualities in their interviews with the INS officials. Georges thinks of Bronte's well-being rather than his own lost green card when he is caught in a mistake and their entire scheme is exposed. Many moderns brought up to disdain natural law and religious interpretations of the deep significance of marriage might at least be tricked into a grudging respect for the marital institution through life experience like Georges and Bronte.

Is it just romantic chemistry at work here? Many may think so but I dissent. The film depicts romantic chemistry undergirded and galvanized by the bond of marriage, a connection that even when lightly undertaken and even more lightly appreciated, forces a man and woman to think more seriously about the nature of human relationships. What is the hope for Georges and Bronte at the end of the film, when Georges is to be taken away for probably deportation by the INS just after the two realize their deep love for each other and have emotionally confirmed their legal marriage? Again, it is the fact that they are married to each other that will provide the likely impetus for their future reunion. Absent marriage, they are just two lovers who could as easily move on to the next attractive and interesting partner who moves into their environment. Absent marriage and a high view of marriage, there is never a compelling and authoritative reason for people to stay together. But as married man and wife, they can never forget that their love has a legal and traditional bond that must be intentionally broken to be dissolved, that they have participated in an ancient institution that reflects the complementary and procreative nature of man and woman. Marriages can be broken and ended as our divorce rates instruct us. But the ending of a marriage means tearing a man and woman apart at a level far deeper than the breaking of any other relationship. Despite the many different ideas about marriage today, I think most people would at least recognize that divorce is qualitatively different from breaking up.

I give this thought-provoking film four stars only because a few plot details were not convincing, at least in my one viewing. Otherwise I found the film to be excellent.

Lovable Movie
2009-04-24 - Lovable movie and Gerard Depardieu is at his best. Loved the whole idea behind the movie