| I Love America | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Lisa Azuelos |
| Written by | Lisa Azuelos Gaël Fierro |
| Produced by | Eleonore Dailly Edouard de Lachomette |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Léo Hinstin |
Production company | Autopilot Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Amazon Studios |
Release date |
|
| Country | France |
| Languages | French and English |
I Love America is a French comedy film directed by Lisa Azuelos and starring Sophie Marceau in the lead role. The film, released on Prime Video, premiered on 11 March 2022 in France.
Lisa, a 50-year-old filmmaker, leaves France to start a new life in Los Angeles. She stays with her gay friend Luka, who had moved to L.A. from France five years earlier and runs his own business, a drag queen bar. Immediately after her arrival, Lisa makes a brief return to Paris for the death of her mother. Back in L.A. she begins work on her new screenplay. After a meeting with a fortune teller, who tells her she is destined to lead a solitary life, Lisa embarks on a quest for sex without commitment and is guided by Luka, who sets up a dating-app account for her. After the first encounter ends badly, Lisa next meets John. Both appear to be into the relationship until John discovers from Lisa's passport that she is 50 years old when her profile on the app said she was younger (thanks to Luka's strategy for her when he set up her account). Eventually they reconnect when John invites her to meet him on her birthday, which he had discovered when he looked at her passport.
Parallel to and intertwined with Lisa's story is the story of Luka. He has unsuccessfully been seeking a more enduring relationship than his life of brief encounters, and by the end of the film he too connects with someone in a relationship that appears to hold promise.
Throughout the film, starting with the opening scene, are flashbacks to Lisa's childhood experiences of her parents (at ages four, eight, and twelve), offered as her reflections on her current issues and attitudes about love and relationships.
Many film critics offered reviews, some positive, some negative, and many somewhere in between:
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. One of Hollywood's most bankable stars, she is known for her leading roles in films of several genres, from romantic comedies and dramas to thrillers and action films. Many of her films have earned over $100 million worldwide, and six have ranked among the highest-grossing films of their respective years. Her top-billing films have collectively brought in over $3.8 billion globally. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.
Sophie Marceau is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films La Boum (1980) and La Boum 2 (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress. She became a film star in Europe with a string of successful films, including L'Étudiante (1988), Pacific Palisades (1990), Fanfan (1993) and Revenge of the Musketeers (1994). She became an international film star with her performances in Braveheart (1995), Firelight (1997), Anna Karenina (1997) and as Elektra King in the 19th James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999). Some of her later films tackle critical social issues such as Arrêtez-moi (2013), Jailbirds (2015) or Everything Went Fine (2021).
Speak to Me of Love is a 2002 French drama film written and directed by Sophie Marceau and starring Judith Godrèche, Niels Arestrup, and Anne Le Ny. The first feature-length motion picture directed by actress Sophie Marceau, the film is about the breakup of a long-term relationship. Speak to Me of Love was filmed on location in New York City and Paris. In 2002, the film received the Montréal World Film Festival Award for Best Director and was nominated for the Grand Prix des Amériques.
Alex & Emma is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson. Written by Jeremy Leven, the film is about a writer who must publish a novel in thirty days or face the wrath of loan sharks.
Tessa Charlotte Rampling is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model.
Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre is a 2001 French fantasy film directed by Jean-Paul Salomé. It stars Sophie Marceau, Michel Serrault, Frédéric Diefenthal, and Julie Christie. It was written by Salomé, Danièle Thompson, and Jérôme Tonnerre. The 2001 film is about a mummy's spirit that possesses a woman (Marceau) in the Louvre. Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre was filmed on location at the Musée du Louvre, the first feature film to be shot in part inside the world-famous museum.
La Boum 2 is a 1982 French teen romantic comedy film directed by Claude Pinoteau and starring Claude Brasseur, Brigitte Fossey, and Sophie Marceau. Written by Danièle Thompson and Claude Pinoteau, the film is about a girl who falls in love with a boy and must deal with the question of making love for the first time. La Boum 2 is the sequel to 1980's La Boum. The music group Cook da Books became famous in many countries through their soundtrack song "Your Eyes". Like its predecessor, La Boum 2 was a financial success, earning 4,071,600 admissions in France. In 1983, the film received the César Award for Most Promising Actress, and was nominated for Best Music and Best Supporting Actress.
Anthony Zimmer is a 2005 French romantic thriller film written and directed by Jérôme Salle and starring Sophie Marceau, Yvan Attal, and Sami Frey. Set mainly in southern France, the film is about a highly intelligent criminal—pursued by international police and the Russian mafia—whose extensive plastic surgery makes him unrecognizable, even to his girlfriend, who enlists the help of an unsuspecting stranger on a train. The film was shot on location in Gare de Lyon in Paris 12, the Hôtel Carlton in Cannes, the Hôtel Negresco in Nice, Ibiza in the Balearic Islands, and on the TGV Paris-Nice train.
Mamma Mia! is a 2008 jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson, based on her book from the 1999 musical of the same name. The film is based on the songs of pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson. The film features an ensemble cast, including Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, and Julie Walters. The plot follows a young bride-to-be who invites three men to her upcoming wedding, with the possibility that any of them could be her father. The film was an international co-production between Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and was co-produced by Playtone and Littlestar Productions.
Fanfan is a 1993 French romantic comedy film written and directed by Alexandre Jardin and starring Sophie Marceau and Vincent Perez. This film is based on the director's best-selling 1990 novel, which was translated into almost two dozen languages.
Letters to Juliet is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Amanda Seyfried, Christopher Egan, Gael García Bernal, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. This was the final film of director Gary Winick before his death on February 27, 2011. The film was released theatrically in North America and other countries on May 14, 2010. The idea for the film was inspired by the 2006 non-fiction book Letters to Juliet, by Lise Friedman and Ceil Friedman, which chronicles the phenomenon of letter-writing to Shakespeare's most famous romantic heroine.
LOL is a 2008 French comedy film directed by Lisa Azuelos and starring Sophie Marceau, Christa Theret, and Alexandre Astier. Written by Azuelos and Delgado Nans, the film is about a teenage girl whose life is split between her studies in a Parisian high school, her secret diary, her parents, her friends, and her boyfriends. Christa Theret received a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress in 2010. The movie is heavily inspired by La Boum, which starred Marceau as the teenage character. After the film's great success, several actors from the cast took part in Fort Boyard in 2009, a French TV show aimed at raising money for an association.
Lisa Azuelos is a French director, writer, and producer. She is the daughter of singer Marie Laforêt.
Revenge of the Musketeers is a 1994 French swashbuckler adventure film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and starring Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Claude Rich, and Sami Frey. Set in the seventeenth century, the film is about the daughter of the renowned swordsman D'Artagnan who keeps the spirit of the Musketeers alive by bringing together the aging members of the legendary band to oppose a plot to overthrow the King and seize power. Revenge of the Musketeers was filmed on location at the Château de Biron in Biron, Dordogne and the Château de Maisons in Maisons-Laffitte in France and in Portugal with a budget of $9.1 million.
Marquise is a 1997 French dramatic film directed by Véra Belmont, and starring Sophie Marceau, Bernard Giraudeau, and Lambert Wilson. Written by Jean-François Josselin, Véra Belmont, Marcel Beaulieu and Gérard Mordillat, the film is about a dancer and actress, based on the historical actress Marquise-Thérèse de Gorla, who rises from obscurity to win the hearts of some of France's most prominent citizens, including Moliere, Racine, and King Louis XIV. She is helped in her career by a rotund comic, who falls in love with her, marries her, and brings her to Paris to launch her career. Despite her intimate involvement with other men, she keeps a special place in her heart reserved only for her unlikely spouse. Set in seventeenth century France, the film was shot on location in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, Italy, from September through December 1996.
Happiness Never Comes Alone is a 2012 French romantic comedy film directed by James Huth and starring Gad Elmaleh, Sophie Marceau, and Maurice Barthélémy. Written by James Huth and Sonja Shillito, the film is about a young jazz musician who enjoys seducing young women. His carefree life of pleasure is interrupted when he meets an older woman with three children, two ex-husbands, and a thriving professional life, and the two, who have nothing in common, become involved in a romantic relationship.
Quantum Love is a 2014 French film written and directed by Lisa Azuelos and starring Sophie Marceau and François Cluzet.
Sveva Alviti is an Italian actress and former model who works in both Italian and French-language films.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a 2022 sex comedy-drama film directed by Sophie Hyde and written by Katy Brand. The film stars Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack.
Crush is a 2022 American coming-of-age film directed by Sammi Cohen and written by Kirsten King and Casey Rackham. The film stars Rowan Blanchard and Auliʻi Cravalho in a story about a teen girl joining her high-school track team to get closer to her crush, only to find out she is getting closer to another teammate. Crush was digitally released on April 29, 2022, on Hulu.