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DVD L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
An absolute delight, L'Auberge Espagnole captures a moment in a life, seemingly about nothing and everything all at once. Xavier (Romain Duris), a young Parisian not sure what his life is about, decides to spend a year in Barcelona studying economics--leaving behind his unhappy girlfriend (Audrey Tautou, Amélie) but joining an international mix of students in a hectic, crowded apartment. Arguing and partying with his British, German, Danish, and Italian roommates--not to mention getting lessons in love from a Belgian lesbian (Cecile De France) so that he can seduce a friend's wife (Judith Godreche, Ridicule)--Xavier learns more about life than economics. The movie, beautifully shot on digital video, has a freshness and spontaneity that make its simple events--a series of arguments and flirtations--feel like a miniature portrait of the European Union as it comes into focus (the title can be translated as "Euro pudding"). Vibrant, charming, and all-around entertaining. --Bret Fetzer
Review(s): DVD L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
"I wanna write books!"
First thing to know about the Spanish Apartment: you have to be able to stand subtitles. The movie is a third in Spanish, a third in French, and a third in English. What else to expect from a story of a French Guy who goes to live in an apartment in Spain with six roommates from different countries?
That being said, I love it. I've seen it many, many times and it never gets old. The story is fun and entertaining, it doesn't take itself seriously. From a cinematographic standpoint, it is also very innovative. Cedric Klapish's way of filming that movie was very funny.
Concrete example: at one point, Xavier, the hero, needs to apply to the college international sudy program. He's facing a dragon-like secretary who tells him all the paperwork he needs to fill out. And as she lists every single one of them, they stack up on the side of the screen.
Just little details that make it very entertaining. The beginning credits alone are spunky and cool and will drag you in. The soundtrack is very varied, and ranks from a Rubinstein classical piano track to Daft Punk, with a couple Spanish hip-hop songs in as well.
Overall, a definite addition to your DVD collection. It's the type of movie you can watch with your family, with your friends, with your spouse, or even by yourself on a lonely night, and it makes you all warm and fuzzy inside. It also makes me want to write a book as well, it's just the type of story you would like to invent.
Another side effect that might not have been planned. Statistics show that after that movie came out, the Erasmus international studies program's popularity drastically increased.
Five stars out of five! Really.
L'Auberge Espagnol.
The spanish apartment is basicly about a french student Xavier who jumps in at the deep end when he takes part in a European exchange scheme in Barcelona and ends up sharing an apartment with a diverse group of fellow students. Xavier who is studying Economics gets to know people and become friends and he also has a relationship with a married woman and trys to avoid the obnoxious and ignorant but hilarious brother of one of the female british student he also has a few problems with his girlfriend back at France played by Audrey Tatou in a short role, what I thought was intresting about this film was that you could relate to some of the characters whether you've lived abroad or if you were an Erasmus student you would have a few problems with the language. I usualy don't like french films but I thought that the spanish apartment was pretty good and I deffinently recommend this film.
sweet, fun little movie
L'auberge espagnole is a fun, unpretentious little comedy. It probably holds the most appeal to those of us who have participated in Erasmus or other international exchange programs and can identify. The coming-of-age angst and assorted melodrama are keenly observed and good-humored; it's impossible not to smile, cringe and reminisce when watching it. One caveat - the use of tired national stereotypes (the organized German, the flirty Italian etc.) was a bit unsubtle and unnecessary; but overall I very much enjoyed this movie.
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