I read the reviews on iIMDb before watching the movie so that I knew what to expect, and, thus, I was not disappointed. One very positive thing about it is that it was not boring. In addition, thanks to my local public library, I saw the movie for free (unless I count the thousands of dollars I pay each year in property taxes that go to my local school and library system).Therefore, I gave the movie 7 out of 10 points.

Director Anne Fontaine ambitiously tries to mix traditional rom-com elements with drama. If she had succeeded, La fille de Monaco could have been a standout movie in 2008. Unfortunately, the end result feels awkward and we are left unable to connect with the movie or the characters.Fabrice Luchini plays Bertrand Beauvois, an elite lawyer coming to Monaco to work a high- profile case. He is assigned a bodyguard, Christophe (Roschdy Zem) and while in Monaco, develops a relationship with a quirky weather girl (Louise Bourgoin) who was formerly romantically involved with the man assigned to protect him. Audrey, our weather forecast girl is considerably younger than Beauvois and her behaviour will remind many viewers of traditional movies where a (usually stuck up) guy sees his life turned a little upside down by a wild woman. It helps that Louise Bourgoin is absolutely stunning. The classic European look you would expect in a Bond Girl. Unfortunately, her acting is not as great as her looks, which makes this Love Triangle of a sort rather inefficient. Luchini and Zem have slightly more chemistry and the bound they form as protector and protected is potentially interesting but never fully realized. The contrasts between the two (social class, education, outlook on life) still provides for the only interesting bits in the film. Unfortunately, the film suddenly and unexpectedly slides into very dramatic territory. I do love when a movie elegantly does this but because of lack of character development, it is difficult to buy the turn of events experienced here. I would be curious to see more of Fontaine's work because I love the general direction and tone this movie was going for, but it failed in the execution. Better casting and more work on the script could have led to a balanced movie that would have been haunting and powerful. But in its actual state, it just ends up being a forgettable movie because it fails to engage us enough to care about the events unfolding.

My laugh meter was in constant activity throughout this film, one of the most entertaining French comedies of recent years. Anne Fontaine's witty script and assured direction gave me a lot of pleasure. The first scene between Fabrice Luchini and Hélène de Saint-Père--that amorous banter out of Marivaux--set the tone for me. Luchini is at the top of his form now, much stronger than he was in La Discrète or Beaumarchais l'insolent. He portrays the erotic confusion of the middle-aged man so well. Roschdy Zem, so often used as ethnic content in his films, here provides us with the (almost) definitive portrait of the loyal servant with his own agenda (cf. Dirk Bogarde in The Servant). Louise Bourgoin has a great natural comic flair that will serve her well in future roles (she outshines that other comic weather girl Michelle Pfeiffer in Up Close and Personal).Anne Fontaine has given me so much satisfaction over the last ten years: I think of Nettoyage à sec, Comment J'ai tué mon père, Nathalie... She is a stalwart of the French film industry.

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!! I've been going to the French Film Fest at Lincoln Center for many years now, and this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen there. I am a huge fan of mysteries and this movies is filled with them, but not one of them is ever resolved. Note - There are major spoilers coming up.1. Stephane Audran looks fabulous, but did she or didn't she? A lot of the movie centers on her trial, and she is found guilty, but it's not ever clear what her motivation is (and the lame excuse mentioned might have worked for Dirk Bogarde in the 60s, but in 2009?) And she's a total cipher throughout.2. Several lines are uttered during the movie that seem like they're going to be clues, but are never mentioned again. They stick out like foreshadowing, or Hercule Poirot "Aha!" moments but go nowhere.3. The weather girl parties hearty and is a real good time gal, with a whole group of friends her own age, but falls in love with a nebishy older lawyer. Is she trying to compromise his case? maybe in a different movie written by a better writer.4. Does the body guard love the lawyer? The weather girl says yes, but since he's a total cipher (lots of them in this movie), we never know.5. Why does the lawyer take the blame at the end? 6. Why make this movie?