Gemma Bovery

"Last time I saw the superb Fabrice Luchini, he was obsessing over a gifted teen with a talent for literature in François Ozon’s In the House. His role isn’t much different in Anna Fontaine’s film, playing a married-and-bored baker obsessing over his gorgeous new neighbour Gemma Bovery (Gemma Arterton) whose life unfolds eerily similar to that of his beloved novel – Madame Bovary. But while his character in Luchini’s film powered his co-lead’s narrative, Fontaine turns him into a mild obstruction in Gemma’s story. It makes Gemma Bovery a frustrating experience in hindsight."

"Think of Gemma Bovery as an airy puff pastry, dripping with honey."

"What almost rescues the film is Arterton’s performance."

"Viewers lured into seeking hidden significance in Gemma Bovery may themselves be the butt of the joke."

"It benefits from Arterton's genuine sex appeal, which is delightfully balanced by Fabrice Luchini as her neighbour obsessed with the novel and who sees worrying links between her and the fictional heroine."

"As pure entertainment it certainly does the job, although much of the text's existential weight is lost in the process."

"Arterton is captivating as Gemma, but Luchini steals the film as the magnifique Joubert, his lust for Gemma often rendered innocent (or impotent) by his wonderful, Buster Keaton-esque deadpan face."