HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

sol- Rehearsing for a revival of the play that made her famous proves unexpectedly challenging for an esteemed actress in this French drama starring Juliette Binoche. While she knows all the dialogue, the difficulty is being asked to the play the older of the two protagonists (a la Michael Caine assuming the Laurence Olivier role in the remake of 'Sleuth'). Further tensions arise as the older protagonist is manipulated by the younger one in the play with Binoche wondering how close she may be to the older character. Fascinating as all this might sound, the film is nevertheless hard to get through at times with the plot not really taking off until 40 minutes in when Binoche views online clips of her bratty co-star to-be and tries to rehearse knowing what her co-star is like. At its best, the film blurs reality as Binoche and her personal assistant practise with it often ambiguous whether the pair are really fighting or simply rehearsing. There are also some memorable bits as the pair discuss whether science fiction dramas can have merit and the notion that "thinking about a text is different to living it", but these sparks unfortunately fizzle out before the film is over. As others have observed, the movie has a curious meta quality with Binoche playing an actress character very similar to herself, but the protracted first forty and final fifteen minutes oddly leads the film succeeding best in its middle section.

dromasca There are so many reasons to like this film. First, the cast includes two of the lead actresses of two different generations - the priceless and prize covered Juliette Binoche and one of the top performers of the younger generation Kristen Stewart, who after having started and made herself a name in blockbusters took a turn into her career to more profound and fulfilling roles. Then, it's a story with multiple threads and subtext, but centered around the show (more specifically theater) business where the two actresses live and breathe. Last but not least, it's a movie that while well told as a story leaves enough room for mystery and imagination. I am just surprised by the relative low impact the film had in festivals and even with the public - and I suspect that some distribution problems were involved.The story written and brought to screen by Olivier Assayas is said to have been tailored and designed for Juliette Binoche, and these fine actress really deserves it and makes the best of it. It's a story about a theater actress who debuted two decades before the action takes place as the younger pole of a feminine couple in a play that is about power fight between ages and a love story built out of that confrontation. She's now the age of the older woman in the couple and is asked to play the other other on stage, just after the playwright and mentor has passed away. She accepts half-heartily and starts repeating the role in the cottage located in the Swiss mountains that belonged to the author, together with her young assistant (Stewart). Is the relation in life a replica of the one in the play? The borders between the two are blurred away more and more as the story advances ... and I will tell no more in order to avoid spoiling any ounce of the pleasure of watching one of the most intelligent and sensitive dialogues and intriguing story line I have seen recently on screens. I will just say that both actresses are magnificent and that the film tells a lot about relations, friendship, art, the borders between art and life, show business cruel rules and the role that 'smart' communications play in our lives.And then we have Switzerland, and its landscapes which play such an important role in the aesthetics and in the drama, maybe exactly because of their beauty and apparent tranquility. I loved the threatening metaphor of the snake that gives the name of the play-in-the-film and shows up only once at a key moment. Or maybe it does not, because there is much that is not told in this movie which is exactly the reason some may not like it, and some other will love it and will continue to be haunted by it after the screening ends. I belong to the later category.

percyporcelain As beautiful as this movie is to look at, I found it a little over- complicated with too many confusing sub-plots, several of which are aborted. Early on, it looks like the presence of an old flame on-set is going to be a major issue for Binoche, but that melts away. It looks like her relationship with the young actress playing the lead is going to be an issue, but that only leads to one minor spat near the end. Her PA rehearses scenes with her in a way that implies some sort of Sapphic love, but this evaporates too (except perhaps in the mysterious nauseous episode). Plenty to mull over. But fabulous scenery, esp. the breathtaking 'Snake' of cloud, and great performances from both Binoche (more animated than ever before) and Stewart.

Jamie Carrick As soon as I noticed that Juliette Binoche was teaming up with Kristen Stewart for this movie, I was enticed. Two talented actresses with the opportunity to bring a great script to life. It was highly naturalistic at places, which I think played to the strengths of the performers.Juliette's "Maria Enders" was a complex, fascinating character who is faced with an opportunity to take part in a revival of the very piece that made her career...only in a role that is completely opposite. During a personal tragedy, she begins working on her character, even though she already dislikes her. It's a wonderful performance by a seasoned actress and I expected nothing less from her.As for Kristen Stewart, I was blown away by how much she has grown as an actress. As with somebody tied to a popular literary figure, Kristen hadn't quite managed to make it out of the Twilight spotlight...until now. She plays Maria's assistant "Valentine", who gives Maria a youthful outlook on life, as well as her honest opinions. Val should have been two-dimensional, if not for the incredibly authentic portrayal by Kristen Stewart. It wasn't a performance which fought for the spotlight, but it was a fully fleshed out supporting turn which is arguably the best of her career so far. She shows a lot of promise for her future now that Twilight is behind her.Some of the landscaping shots were incredibly beautiful, showing the scenery at its finest.One of my few complaints was with Chloe Grace Moretz in the role of Jo-Anne Ellis. In a part that wasn't particularly highlighted, Moretz didn't do a lot to make it memorable, as with the likes of other performers who do a lot with little material. Her portrayal of the controversial Hollywood starlet Jo-Anne didn't bring a lot to the screen. It merely seemed like she was playing herself at times. She was severely outclassed by Binoche and Stewart.Overall, I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I was going to and I recommend it, even just to see Binoche and Stewart as a proficient on-screen duo.