I approached this 'essential piece of cinema for romantics everywhere' (according to the DVD blurb) with a degree of scepticism, and did not, alas, have my expectations challenged while watching it. The comparisons with Shakespeare in Love have, judging by other user comments, been stretched to death, yet it is almost impossible to avoid them. In both films, the strapping literary titan is used as a device to elevate the film to a higher status than the standard bodice ripping period drama. While the romantic rollocking continues, the occasional allusions to our heroes' respective oeuvres allows us to give ourselves a pat on the back for being ''clever'' enough to pick up on the reference (having said this, I knew very few of Moliere's plays and had to look up the connections after the film finished). The characterisation is simplistic, the script generic and Romain Duris' resemblance to Russell Brand quite alarming. Despite all this, I must confess I found myself rather enjoying it. 'Sumptuous' seems to be the most widely applied adjective, and, being a lazy commentator, that is what I see the film's appeal boiling down to. The extravagant sets and rapid cutting ensure that however prosaic the scene might be, the eyes are consistently ravished by the period details and frequently entertaining sight gags. Duris' Moliere is a far more sympathetic character than Fiennes' smug Shakespeare, and I was seduced by the amount of times our romantic interests are seen stumbling and tripping each other up. If nothing else, this means there is at least one aspect of the film I can relate to.
Review of Molière
