Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Yulia Pomarina I saw "Le Libertin" 3 times. Or even 4. It is very good. It is much better on French with subtitles It is one of those 2 or 3 movies which I wanted to re-watch immediately after final titles. How to explain? If you see only nudity and scabrous jokes here I am afraid that this film is not about it at all. You may try but you can not persuade me. What I see here - is a great philosopher and great struggle for enlightenment. And what I admire in French style is to do serious things with easy smile and turning all into a fest. And they do it very powerful and in very fascinating manner. Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant are splendid and subtle. They show a relation between two adult persons. Look how really adult people do it (not kidult). Great part of the movie is devoted to question of religion. Soundtrack to the movie is worthy of listening. Main song performed by Boy George adds richness to atmosphere.You feel courage behind the fest - you can see behind the form its content. You see a great self-control behind this smile. They do not try to make a good face playing bad, they do not play fool, no. On the contrary they make their fest so courageously, they are able to play games when the matter is quite serious, so you see Frenchmen are great nation. As if they know a great secret of life... To smile like in an old song...Smile Smile, though your heart is aching Smile, even though it's breaking When there are clouds in the sky you'll get by If you smile through your fear and sorrow Smile and maybe tomorrow You'll see the sun come shining through for youLight up your face with gladness Hide every trace of sadness Although a tear may be ever so near That's the time you must keep on trying Smile what's the use of crying You'll find that life is still worthwhile If you'll just SmileThis is a film which Fenchmen made after all what happened with them after the Age of Enlightenment, having in mind all what they did not find necessarily to say straightly. I see that this film has a strongest content covered with jokes. Only Frenchmen are able to say something complex using such easy manner without harm to the content.I love this movie from the very beginning to the very end.

lazarillo Depending on your taste, this French movie could be considered either as a raunchy French comedy with arty pretensions or as Gallic-flavored Merchant-Ivory type fare with a refreshing lack of them. The story involves real-life 18th century French "philosoph", Denis Diderot, who is holed up with a bunch of his equally jaded family and friends on the luxurious estate of his friend Baron D'Holbach where he is working on a scandalous encyclopedia propounding his libertine philosophy. When D'Holbach's brother (Michael Serrault), a prominent cardinal, shows up unexpectedly, D'Holbach's wife (Josiane Basko) and Diderot's other various friends try to distract the clergyman from what is really going on at the estate.This is set in the same era as "Dangerous Liasons" (and also the era of the Marquis de Sade), but for better or worse it is much less serious than the various films based on that literary work. It isn't quite the unbridled sex romp you'd expect for a French film set in this free and loose era. Most of the ribaldry involves Diderot, under the somewhat reproachful gaze of his wife, posing nude for an attractive female painter (Fanny Arnadt). There is some casual adultery mostly involving a promiscuous female party guest (Arielle Dombasle). The sexiest scenes though are undoubtedly the ones where Diderot's daughter (Vahina Giocante) and D'Holbach's daughter (a pre-"Amelie" Audrey Tatou) take a hot tub soak together, or the scene where Diderot's relatively prudish wife (Francoise Lepine) receives a "happy ending" from a studly African masseuse. But this movie is much more raunchy comedy than sex. It's kind of comedy of manners but with no manners.Vincent Perez is quite good as Diderot, as is Josiane Balasko as the Madame D'Holbach, and Michael Serrault as the cardinal. Francoise Lepine is also pretty good, even though she largely disappeared after this movie. And Fanny Arnadt is ALWAYS worth watching. Tatou and Gicante, meanwhile, have little to do but peel off for their hot tub scene, but actually that is PLENTY. This movie is pretty lightweight, but it's also a pretty fun watch.

waybee This movie is meant to be a comedy, but won't even make you smile.It is vulgar, not funny at all. I am still wondering how stars like Vincent Perez and Michel Serrault could make such a poor movie. The dialogues are not as witty as one might expect. One of the characters ends up stark naked in public and even that is not funny.One might want to compare this movie to other French historical comedies. If you want to see the difference, try to get hold of "Beaumarchais, l'Insolent" or "Ridicule", these are truly good comedies with a number of French stars.If you want to have an idea of how bad Le Libertin is, just check how many second hand DVD copies are sold on the internet and for what prices. A couple of bucks would buy you a brand new copy. At least you could use the DVD case for some other better movie.

bob the moo In France, a group of free thinkers, led by the philosopher and writer Denis Diderot have been working to produce the first ever encyclopedia and bring enlightenment and knowledge to their fellow Frenchmen. With the authorities placing an order to stop the spread of this evil work, Diderot is forced to hide the printing presses underground at his mansion as he tries to finish his work. It is a wonder though, that he can write at all, as his freedom brings him a spread of women wanting 'liberation'. He is fine with promoting this way of thinking until his own daughter starts to explore her sexuality with feelings towards an older man. A visit by the Cardinal causes some delay but Baroness d'Holbach tries to keep him busy throughout his visit while the work continues to get the book out.Without any knowledge of this film I sat to watch it and immediately realized that this was a typically bawdry™ French comedy that does what that description suggests by being colourful, full of raucous dialogue, sexual innuendo and nudity. Unfortunately this takes what could have been an interesting historical film with a comic tone and makes it a sort of unfunny Carry On film full of gratuitous nudity, unfunny comedy and drama/characters that totally fail to keep the audience involved in these comic japes that really lack heart. The story is so spoilt by crude excess that it is never interesting or involving and gradually turns into a very boring series of sexual japes. There is a serious side in there somewhere but it is badly treated and badly handled and it just doesn't work when placed in the middle of so much crude innuendo. If it were funny then it would be at least a bit better but it isn't funny and it doesn't have the 'Gallic sexual energy' that it clearly wants to have. The cast all gallop around with the necessary amount of bawdry behaviour and 'huh-huh-huh' French energy but none of them can do more than just mess around in the same manner as Sid James and Barbara Windsor were doing decades ago. Perez is nice to look at but without a character he does just play the sort of lead character in Carry On movies – attempts to deal with issues around his daughter are poor since the film is more interested in getting her naked in a bath than anything else. Of course there will be those who find the sight of Audrey Tautou and Vahina Giocante naked in a bath of milk to be a pleasing one, but a bit more actual acting would have been nice too. Balasko is the worst example of Carry On hamming and her whole performance was poor. Ardant was interesting as she was more serious but her nice touches are lost in the material. Overall the whole cast is poor, although I don't blame them so much as the misjudged tone of crude humour running throughout the whole film.Overall this is a poor film that will only appeal to those who like their French films to just be a load of sexual innuendo and cliché bawdry™ behaviour in period clothes. Historical interests and conflicts within the characters are all there but lost below a load of nudity and Carry On style japes. Sid James must be looking down from smut heaven with pleasure but for me I would have liked a bit more structure, drama or laughs (even one of the three would have done. But maybe I'm just missing the point of this film.