L’AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE (2002)   ***1/2

Reviewed 5/16/03 

About a Parisian spending a year abroad in Barcelona, Cédric Klapisch’s deft, exhilarating comedy is light-hearted fun marred only by an embarrassingly pat ending.  It does for middle class European students what Whit Stillman’s METROPOLITAN did for New York’s upper crust youth, conveying all the naiveté, self-absorption, obnoxiousness, camaraderie, and spirited freedom one has on the verge of adulthood.  Barcelona, one of the world’s great cities, makes a vivid backdrop with its stunning Park Gruell, Sagrada Familia, sky lifts, narrow back streets, and beckoning night life.  Protagonist Xavier (Romain Duris) finds himself dealing with his roommates from all over western Europe – cute, serious native Soledad (Cristina Brondo); her Danish boyfriend Lars (Christian Pagh); sensitive German Tobias (Barnaby Metschurat); peculiar Italian Alessandro (Federico D'Anna); bold Belgian lesbian Isabelle (Cécile De France); finicky Brit Wendy (Kelly Reilly); and eventually her insufferable brother William (Kevin Bishop).  At the same time Xavier juggles a long distance relationship with his needy girlfriend Martine (Audrey Tautou, now famous from AMELIE) while drawn toward the ungainly, introverted Anne-Sophie (Judith Godrèche), wife of talkative neurosurgeon Jean-Michel (Xavier De Guillebon), both of whom he met on the plane over.

Klapisch has excelled by leaps and bounds since his tedious WHEN THE CAT’S AWAY, here making playful use of fast-motion and split screens, especially when invoking bureaucratic red tape.  He owes a great debt to his tremendous ensemble.  Foremost, Duris makes Xavier sympathetic in all his insecurity and impulsiveness.  Reilly, getting to let loose after a nothing role in LAST ORDERS, really comes to life.  De France, who won the Most Promising Actress César for this role, is indelible, especially in a scene where she tells a story of being seduced by her Flamenco teacher (Paulina Gálvez).  The versatile Godrèche surprises again by fully inhabiting Anne-So’s awkwardness.   The movie’s highlight comes when all the characters come together in a race against time to save Wendy from a moment of indiscretion.  Here, all is fair and fun in love.