Fact: Paris is the city of romance. Yes, everyone knows this even for someone who hasn't been there. But true to form, be it in a postcard, there's always the tacit knowledge of how seeing a film that uses the place as a backdrop makes you want to go there. The Eiffel Tower, the Palais Royal, the French language, Musee de Louvre, the Seine... these and more just give you some kind of fairytale experience.

In Le Divorce, it starts off with Isabel Walker (played by Kate Hudson), an American, who just arrived in Paris to visit her sister, Roxanne de Persand (played by Naomi Watts) exactly the same time when her sister's husband Charles-Henri took off. Immediately caught by surprise on what the sisters are faced with, Isabel's stay couldn't have been more perfectly timed to be there and be of help to Roxanne and her daughter.


Isabel accompanies them to visit Roxanne's in-laws without breaking the news of Charles-Henri's departure. Worried about her sister, she decides to call her parents in Santa Barbara about it and discusses of retrieving a painting owned by the Walkers that Roxanne is holding in her care which might be of interest to her husband. After which, she goes along with Roxanne to meet Charles-Henri and then with writer Olivia Pace, who hires her for a job on the spot while out for drinks.

While working, she meets Yves, who's also under the employment of Pace renovating the apartment. Quickly enough, the two hit if off and even spend the night together in bed watching TV, she comes across one interview of Edgar Cosset, an in-law of hers, whom she becomes infatuated to. This leads to a friendly banter with Yves and drops the issue.

Roxanne, on the other hand, faces bitter divorce proceedings while being pressured to have a baby boy by her mother-in-law despite the predicament. At home, a Getty curator visits the sisters to determine the authenticity of the painting they have believing it is an original La Tour. Even when the curator showed an interest to it, the sisters were encouraged by friends not to give up the Saint Ursula as it is too priceless.


In the middle of channel-surfing, Isabel comes across yet another Cosset interview on TV and decides to call and meet him at Cafe George to help speed up her French. And right off the bat during lunch, Edgar offers a proposition to her to become his mistress which she agrees provided that they keep it on the down-low. Next thing she knows, an Hermès Kelly bag is sent to her way prompting Roxanne to warn her not to accept expensive gifts from men. She now embarks on a relationship simultaneously between two men, one in public with Yves and the other one in clandestine with Edgar.

At Olivia's and Roxanne's book event, Isabel starts getting harassed by Tellman, the husband of Charles-Henri's mistress and asks Yves to kick the guy out from interrupting the book-reading. What follows is a series of negotiation between the Walkers and de Persands making the Saint Ursula the centerpiece of the divorce settlement. It almost lead Roxanne on a suicide attempt while still pregnant. Fortunately, Isabel finds her in time before it causes serious repercussions to the baby. After finding out, the Walkers flies in to Paris to be with their daughters. During lunch, it shows that Roxanne's lawyer, Maitre is having a thing towards her. Their brother, Roger (played by Thomas Lennon) is adamant in discussing the value of the Saint Ursula and how it can be divided equally within the family. The Walker family goes to visit the de Persands country house outside the city to continue their negotiation emphasizing the ownership of the painting as an heirloom. Even the topic involving the supposed affair with Edgar comes into play where Isabel just shrugs off the conversation preferring not to care.


One morning, as Isabel along with her mother and niece tours the Eiffer Tower, Tellman starts following the two on board the lift to the top. He takes them hostage and keeps asking them if Roxanne is coming. As if Roxanne is not experiencing enough domestic problems, she arrives home to find her husband dead. It is then found out that Tellman was the culprit and was sent to a psychiatric institution.

In the later part, Isabel and Edgar ends the affair amicably. The Walkers makes the decision to sell the Saint Ursula and gets astouded how its value skyrocketed to an amount more than $4M USD and even opened up a foundation after the said painting.

The film's dialogue is about 50% in French. So this is more like a nice starter for anyone who wants to learn the language or any Francophile for that matter. Overall, it's a gem to watch not to mention that adorable scene stealer of a haircut on Kate Hudson - it's just vivacious. If only I could pull off that hair style like hers. Très chic!


** This story is taken from my old blog - popcorn sessions. **

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Photos via My French Life, Tribute, Showtimes