God Is Great and I'm Not (2001)

Audrey Tautou was just beginning to happen when she made this movie; she'd appeared in a good half dozen films of which the best by far was Tonie Marshall's Venus Beaute in which she got to play alongside Nathalie Baye, Mathilde Seigner and Micheline Presle where she couldn't help picking up some strong tips on technique. She made God is Great back to back with Amelie and, as luck would have it, Amelie was first out of the gate and the rest as they say ... So what of this; well, it's patchy, quirky and the director has an annoying habit of cutting to Black in the middle of a scene and sometimes coming back to it a few seconds later as if the film had run out and they couldn't afford another complete Take so they just carried on after they reloaded. Eccentric is a good word to describe it though I accept that some viewers will opt for charming. It's one of those where if you're in the right mood you'll respond but if you're not there's a chance it could irritate you.

For fans of the film AMELIE, despite starring Audrey Tautou, this film is NOT a reprise of this role, though you can't blame her for branching out to other type roles (and I certainly enjoyed her film HE LOVES ME).The film's sole focus is Tautou and her quest for spiritual fulfillment. You soon see that when her character does something, she does it 100% and is totally "gung ho"--at least for a while. While this is initially entertaining, her character is so screwed up and self-involved that you really find her annoying over time---her relationship with her mom, her suicide attempt, her desire to become Jewish, etc. all revolve around her. So, the spiritual journey itself COULD have been an interesting plot element--but her character wasn't. I think I would have liked the film if it had a more likable, less self-involved and shallow character.She's cute in this film too but also shallow and stupid. As a result, her performance, over time, becomes a little bit annoying and trivial--so much so that the film becomes just a time-passer.Did I mention that she was shallow?

This is the story of a woman, played by Audrey Tautou, who searches for herself by searching for a religion she can relate to. She tries all of the major religions and ends up with Judaism when she starts to data Francois, who is lapsed in his faith.Her spiritual quest drives her, Francois and ME crazy. I tend to like character and plot-driven movies, but it is important that I relate to the character in some way. There was no one with whom I could relate.From a technical point-of-view there are positives and negatives. I rented this movie primarily because I enjoy Audrey Tautou's acting. She is talented and exceptionally charming. In that, this movie lived up to my expectations. Her acting and that of the other case members is quite well done. Unfortunately, the direction and editing aren't quite as good. There are a lot of very short scenes that are distracting and don't seem to advance the story.By no means is this a bad movie, but unless you can relate to a spiritual journey more than me, this movie probably won't quite do it for you.

Twenty-year-old Michele (Audrey Tatou, star of the hit film "Amelie") is a successful model but an emotional wreck. Desperate to find something to believe in, she has tried Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and more, all without success. But when she meets handsome Francois, twelve years her senior and a successful secular Jew, she has a religious awakening. Suddenly obsessed with Judaism, she is soon driving Francois crazy nailing up mezuzahs, keeping kosher, observing Shabbat and accusing him of not being Jewish enough! "God is Great...I am Small" is an unusually smart and contemporary comedy/drama that builds its story around controversial issues affecting today's Jewry: Who or what is a Jew? Is a secular or Reform Jew really Jewish? Is it important to speak Hebrew? Can a relationship be successful if one partner is observant and the other is not?