Director: Lucas Belvaux
Actors: Emilie Dequenne, Loïc Corbery
Writer: Lucas Belvaux
Country: France
Runtime: 111 min
Rating: 14A
Director Lucas Belvaux’s film Not My Type (Pas son genre) tells the story of Parisian philosophy professor Clément (Loïc Corbery) and single-mom hairdresser Jennifer (Émilie Dequenne), two individuals who seem to have nothing in common but are attracted to each other nonetheless. Slowly, the two begin to rub off on each other as they defy social constructs and bring out their best. Unfortunately, this overdone storyline is no more interesting in French film than in Hollywood, and the work suffers from predictability. This film opens slowly and does not pick up over its one-hundred-and-eleven minute runtime. Although both Clément and Jennifer seem like nice people, there is nothing about them that particularly fascinates an audience; their lines are uninteresting and the actors struggle to bring them to life. An unnecessary amount of time is spent on scenes that drag on too long, and others are simply obvious and unengaging. A few pleasant scenery shots do appear throughout, however, reminding a viewer of the sweet simplicity of a working class French community. Although Not my Type is not a terrible film, there is nothing about it that excites or interests beyond the typical “opposites attract” love story. I hope to see these actors in other roles and in a more inspired film where their personalities can truly shine through.
Overall Rating: 5.4
