Period-drama gurus James Ivory and Ishmail Merchant have abandoned corsets and classic adaptations for a comedy of manners across continents. Without a substantial hit since The Remains of The Day, Le Divorce has the feel and tone of a period piece, but is set in contemporary Paris. A sort of cross-cultural soap for the upper-middle classes.

When Charles-Henri (Melvil Poupaud) walks out on his expectant wife Roxy (Naomi Watts), because he feels his mistress has injected him with the creative juices Roxy never could, there seems no other route than divorce. Roxy should understand, after all, because she is a poet. In poetry explanations are unnecessary, feeling is everything, passion is paramount.

But she doesn`t understand. She`s American and he`s French. There lies the problem. In French law Charles-Henri is entitled to 50% of his wife`s estate, Roxy cannot remarry until the baby is born and if she refuses to divorce him she would be unable to keep his name.

Le Divorce is three stories rolled into one; the cultural differences and contrasting worlds of the French and the Americans are played out through Roxy`s divorce; the discovery that her family own a painting by 17th century French artist Georges de la Tour; and the coming of age of Roxy`s sister Isabel (Kate Hudson), who embarks on an affair with Charles-Henri`s uncle, the much older Edgar (Thierry Lhermitte).

There`s an abundance of fine acting from a stellar supporting cast. Stockard Channing and Sam Waterston play the sisters` parents. Glenn Close pops up as a knowing novelist who gives Isabel part-time work. Luc Besson is Roxy`s divorce lawyer and Matthew Modine is the embittered, borderline psychotic husband of Charles-Henri`s muse.

But it`s all rather hollow at the end of the day. Throwing in an attempted suicide and murder seems incongruous with the overall tone of the film. Everyone is very aware of the injustices Roxy is suffering, but nobody seems too concerned by her pain. Her parents` and brother`s anxiety that the potentially wealthy painting may be hijacked by French law supersedes Roxy`s anguish and Isabel is side-tracked with her `education` of French food, fashion and sex.



Le Divorce is released nationwide on 19 September 2003

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