Herv Le Roux's THEY CALL IT SPRING (ON APPELLE A... LE PRINTEMPS) is like some Super Bowls -- the interruptions are by far and away the best parts. In the case of the Super Bowl, the interruptions come in the form of commercials, but in the female buddy comedy THEY CALL IT SPRING, the narrative is broken by humorous musical interludes, usually sung in the two and three-part harmonies and rounds. These musical ditties have about as much in common with the storyline as a dot-com ad does with football, but they are so much fun that you won't care. The best of these musical numbers has three guys dressed like 18th century French dandies, complete with long cream-colored coats, shoes and lace.
Manu (Marilyne Canto), Fanfan (Maryse Cupaiolo) and Joss (Marie Matheron) are three women who find themselves temporarily homeless together after arguments with their significant others. After sharing the friendship of various adventures, they begin to plot revenge on the men in their lives, using every technique from swapping the hot and cold water lines to tar-and-feathering. Sharing little of the originality of the musical numbers, the comedy serves adequately to mark time until the charming songfest resumes.
THEY CALL IT SPRING runs 1:47. The film is in French with English subtitles. It is not rated but might be PG-13 for brief nudity and would be acceptable for kids around 12 and up.
Want free reviews and weekly movie and video recommendations via Email? Just send me a letter with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
