Serial Lover (1998) Poster

(1998)

User Reviews

Review this title
13 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
8/10
Absurd but funny atrocities
liou10 November 2000
This film was shown as a premiere during a French cinema festival in Amsterdam. The summary in the guide said something about the film being similar to Pulp Fiction and John Long Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and that's how far I got reading.

You can imagine I didn't expect what I was going to see, but it amused me anyway. The humor is very black and very gory, so this is no movie for the faint-hearted ones. If you don't mind this, you can do nothing but laugh at the absurd, Funes-like situations caused by the main character. The plot is quite original and undergoes unexpected twists, which with the great special effects (both visual and aural) give the film a certain freshness. This did me remind of Pulp Fiction.

I was sitting with about ten people in the theater, but I can assure we had the time of our lives, laughing at the absurd but funny atrocities throughout the film!
6 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Deadly funny
MarioB10 February 2000
So, OK, the others users say everything about it. It's very funny, very black humor. This is also very original and creative. We also got a chance to see Michèle Laroque starring in a movie. In French Cinema, she's always fourth of fifth on the bill. But there's one thing I really hate about this film : this is a French movie, so why the title is in English? Did Americans gives French titles to their movies? No! So why did the French do that (there's also their movie Sitcom, with an English title). And why all the songs of this French movie are in English? Did France have problems with their own identity?
3 out of 25 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Oh, what a Birthday!
dal95acn12 August 2004
Wow!

Late last night I turned on TV and found myself 35 minutes into a French movie. Just when I was about to switch channels, it started to get really interesting. Unfortunately I don't know how the movie starts, but from the middle it is action all the way and the plot takes so many new turns one thinks this was the fruit of a writers' relay, if you see what I mean. The absurdity made me think of Peter Sellers' "Oh what a party" or how it is called.

This is a movie I might recommend to friends - not all friends, but those who have the right kind of humor.

BTW, I wonder if the character ever got herself a new man..
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
One of the Best Dark Comedies Ever – A Gem To Be Discovered
claudio_carvalho11 July 2004
In Paris, on the eve of her 35th birthday, Claire Dostes (Michèle Laroque) decides to invite her three boy-friends Sacha Peters (Antoine Basler), Charles Thiriot (Michel Vuillermoz) and Prince Hakim (Zinedine Soualem) and her best friend Ruitchi (Gilles Privat) to a dinner party, with the objective of helping her to decide who would be her future husband. Meanwhile, the police detective Eric Cellier (Albert Dupontel) is chasing two small time thieves that are heisting the apartments in her neighborhood. Along the night, Claire accidentally kills her four guests. When she calls her sister Alice (Elise Tielrooy) to help her, she brings dozen of friends to a surprise birthday party. Soon she receives also the two burglars and the policemen under the command of Cellier. And the night has not finished yet.

"Serial Lover" certainly is one of the best dark comedies that I have ever seen. It is a gem to be discovered by the fans of this genre. This funny comedy is spectacular, with great performances of the cast. The wonderful, gorgeous and sexy Michèle Laroque, of whom I am a fan, has a stunning performance. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): 'Serial Lover'

Note: on 20 November 2013, I saw this movie again.
8 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Weird, but funny
Schmoffi8 February 1999
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie as a "Sneak Preview", where the audience did not know which movie would be shown; a lot of people left during the first half, but those who stayed seemed to have quite a lot of fun (I did). If you are offended by the Monty-Python kind of blood and gore, you probably shouldn't see it.

The movie starts with Claire accidentally murdering four men, her former fiance acute;s; this takes place in various bizarre ways (one of the guys spends most of the time with the blade of an ice skate sticking in his head, after being strangled with a telephone cord). For the rest of the time, she is occupied covering her deeds, and coping with the dozens of party guests her sister pops up with, always on the brink of breaking down.

After 15 Minutes I thought it couldn't possibly go on at that pace, but it did, for the full 90 minutes. If the body count was a bit lower, you would probably employ the term "screwball comedy". If you happen to know "Four Rooms", try to imagine a 90 minute version of the Banderas and Tarantino sequences at double speed, and you'll get the idea.
8 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
outrageously funny
Nocular1 February 1999
A murder-slapstick-comedy. Reminded me a little of those old Louis de Funes movies, but Serial Lover is much more 90s, and much more bloody, too. The funniest film I've seen since Clerks.

I can't imagine anyone I know who wouldn't have a hell of a time with this movie. It's so funny! And the female lead does a perfect job of playing your average woman who suddenly has things getting way, way over her head, without knowing how she got into that mess in the first place.

While it may not be totally original all of the time, this movie has a certain kind of freshness to it that I haven't seen in comedy movies for years.

Did I say it is funny? It is. From start to finish.

See it before they make the (inevitable) americanized version.
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Hahaha
kameleontti19 July 2004
I saw this movie on TV some years ago and I'm still waiting for a rerun. I missed the beginning, but what I saw was hilarious. You must have a twisted sense of humor to understand, but if you do, this film is very much worth watching. Like being said, it's about a woman who accidentally kills four men in her birthday party and then tries to hide what she has done. Picture this, a corpse sitting in an armchair, a woolly hat in his head to hide the murder weapon, and everybody thinks he's just watching TV. There is also a scene where some people pee down from balcony on people below and they think it's just raining. And just when you think it's all over... No, I won't spoil the fun. Get ready for a big laugh.
5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Dead groom humor
tobiasnan28 June 2005
What happens if a women (bestseller krimi writer) decide to invite all her boyfriends, for a dinner, to choose a husband? All four knows that they become opponents, and to get the desired women they might hurt each other. I guessed this will be the outcome. But movie makers have a bigger fantasy. Claire, the heroine, (no not the drug) kills them one by one. Accidents happen all the time, but so fatal ones! So funny that hurts! Than the police arrives in the figure of the usual police duo: a small stupid, and the tall ice cold look detective. When the police left arrives the party, with all components of it: dancing men and women, most of them drunken, or in a deep depression. They find the dead grooms, but don't discover them. After the party comes to an end, the two robbers arrive. Than the detectives back.

The movie ends with a good outcome, you think. The dead bodies disappear and everybody goes home, police leave, ST as the robbers. But than comes the last twist the last joke not to forget the beginning.

So go to the video store and enjoy!
3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Shocking, Hilarious, Inventive
wirefox127 January 2006
My daughter and I were in Chicago by chance during a film festival. We had time for only one film and we chose Serial Lover based on the time it was playing. We felt so lucky to have seen it ... and the showing we were at included a Q & A with James Huth which took place following the film. What a delight. One of the most satisfying film events I have ever attended.

It has been several years but I do recall the almost futuristic, sharp, hip mood. The scenes are often dark with points of bright neon color. Sharp contrast of dark and light from one setting to the next adds to the sense of surprise and delight. The contrast in dark and light is analogous to the contrasts between the suitors, and to the unresolved situation. The characters move between the dreamlike almost murky areas to the shocking, bright kitchen, they move between confusion and clarity of purpose.

My daughter and I still talk about this movie years later ... and we will talk about it for years to come. This film was a part of our bonding and meshing as adults rather than child to adult. The subversive, strange, wonderful film suited our personalities to a "T" This film is forever associated with my daughter's now hometown, Chicago, and the road that took her there.
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
A pearl of French cinema
selfubam16 December 2002
Though the title might imply the movie being a bad porn flick, it actually turns out to be yet another pearl of French cinema.

Claire's 35th birthday is coming up and she has strongly decided to get married. She invites three substantial grooms for dinner, with the goal of choosing one of them as her future husband. The evening doesn't go exactly as planned and as one thing leads to another; soon Claire's apartment has turned into a house of horrors as more bodies start piling up in Claire's bathtub.

This movie once again proves how better movies are made when profit is not the only goal to achieve. The story is absolutely brilliant! What makes the movie even more amazing is that it's set in one apartment and all the events happen during one night. It's one of those movies that when you come out of the cinema it feels like it lasted only half an hour, but in reality was an hour and a half.

Director/script writer James Huth has done a brilliant job in organizing everything so that everything works perfectly and the audience can't stop laughing. There are no unnecessary moments and every scene leads to another, even funnier one. And yes, do watch this one before they make the American version.
1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Black humor at its best
Petal-28 June 1999
I really enjoyed every minute of this movie. If you like black humor you won't stop laughing. Also the soundtrack and the camera positions are special and interesting.
1 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
How silly is that?
kosmasp12 September 2010
Pretty silly and pretty absurd indeed. Just great (bloody) fun. A dark comedy that does not take itself too serious. That's also something that could be criticized of course and depending on your taste or mood you will just do that. Hopefully though you can enjoy it as much as I and some other people did.

Actually I'm surprised that there hasn't been an US Remake of this (though it seems that there is a South Korean movie/remake). The pace is pretty good, the jokes come pretty quickly, so you don't too much time to think things through. And again, this is not a movie, that is grounded in Reality. It's supposed to be a fun ride, that is there for those who are not easily offended and/or faint hearted!
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Dark, mysterious and funny (explanations about some references )
fredthehatter29 May 2014
Many people wrote good reviews about this movie but there is more about it.

About the title, it's not in french because serial killer is as much used as "tueur en série" and "amoureuse en série" doesn't make as much sense as serial lover. "Serial" anything is associated with serial killers for french people.

Michèle Laroque's performance is outstanding but there is more, many actors known as "les robins des bois" play on this movie and add their own touch of absurdity.

There is also albert dupontel, he is an actor at first and he's also a director nowadays, if you like this comedy, you should try his movies as well.

I hope you all enjoyed this movie as much as me, i just discovered that gem and i'm happy to know there is still amazing movies to discover from my own country and all over the world.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed