Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

jotix100 Nelly, a young Parisian woman, is married to Jerome, a man who for all appearances does not want to work. Whatever brought them together is keeping them apart, something that Nelly tells Jerome early on as they split. Nelly, who has had a few uninteresting jobs, even selling bread in a bakery, owes money that she will have to repay.Hope arrives as she and Jacqueline meet one day at a cafe. Looking from their table, Jacqueline notices an elderly man enter the place. She confesses to Nelly he is Monsieur Arnaud, who was her lover. Upon hearing Nelly's predicament, Arnaud offers her a job in helping him with the memoirs he has written and he is now revising before the work is published. Arnaud has led an interesting life as a judge in a French possession. With the job, Arnaud tells Nelly he will give her the money in order for her to repay what she owes.It is obvious Arnaud likes the young woman; he would like to have her, but he is too wise a man to realize he has no chance, or that their age difference, will be an obstacle. That is why Arnaud says nothing and acts instead in a subtle way, but ultimately the interest Nelly awakens in Vincent Granec, the editor in charge of the book, proves to be the thing that will work against him.Claude Sautet, the French director, who died right after this film was made, showed he had a great sense of style as well as telling a mature story for more sophisticated viewers. Mr. Sautet contributed to the screenplay, which leaves things to the audience to solve rather than solve the problem for us. Mr. Sautet left an impressive number of films for the delight of his followers.The best thing in the film is Michel Serrault. This versatile actor makes an impression with his subtle performance about a man that can still feel a passion, but is aware a liaison with Nelly will be fatal as far as getting the young woman to love him for what he is. Emmanuelle Beart also has a good opportunity as the shy woman that has been married to the wrong man. Although beautiful she only wears dowdy clothes, perhaps not to provoke the desire that might involve her in an affair she knows is not for her. One thing is clear, Ms. Beart, as a typist, or even a secretary, would not have been able to make a living, but in the make believe world of the movies, one wonders how those memoirs could have been typed since it is obvious she had no clue how to use a keyboard! Anyway, someone as beautiful as her, should never have to worry about those menial things. Jean-Hughes Anglade makes a valuable contribution as Granec, the man that falls in love with Nelly. Claire Nadeau and Francoise Brion, as well as Charles Berling are among the supporting players.

Henry Fields I guess the main reason for "Nelly" to be one of the most popular Eruopean movies of the last years is the presence of the Goddess Beart in each and every one of the sequences: her eyes, her mouth, her perfection. Without any make-up, without wonderful dresses... she does not need anything but her natural beauty to make Mr. Arnaud to fall in love her. He hires her as a personal assistant while he's writing his memoirs, but she'll end up being his closest confident. The connection between both of them is neither sexual nor platonic... it's something else. Maybe they're just kindred spirits that meet each other at the wrong time: he knows she's too young and beautiful to stay with him. It doesn't matter if she'd be willing to begin a relationship with Arnaud, 'cause the truth is that he won't let her beauty to fade in the company of an old man which has anything but memories.This is a sober and reflexive movie, that doesn't live up to its world wide fame (in my opinion); but, as I said before, the presence of Emmanuelle Beart worth watching it.*My rate: 7/10

Howard Schumann In the 1995 film, Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud, director Claude Sautet depicts the relationship between an attractive young woman of 25 (Emmanuelle Beart) and wealthy retired judge (Michel Serrault). The setting is in upper middle-class Paris, replete with cognac, 1961 Chateau d"Yquem, stacks of books on the shelf and comfortable looking apartments. As in another Sautet film, Un Coeur en Hiver, the subject is the fear of being involved. "We all want love, but when we find it, we pull back. It scares us," states Monsieur Arnaud. At the opening, Nelly is having marital problems with her husband Jerome (Charles Berling) who has not worked in a year. At a café one afternoon she is introduced by a friend to M. Arnaud and, after only a brief conversation about the state of her affairs, he surprisingly offers to give her 30,000 francs to help her get out of debt. She first refuses, then later agrees and also accepts his offer to type his memoirs on his computer. As she transcribes his verbally-dictated notes several hours a day, it becomes clear that he is paying her to be not only his assistant but his companion and personal confidant as well. The talk starts out with book-related matters but soon veers off into the personal. Though there is an unspoken yearning for closeness, their relationship develops into a power struggle over who can get the other to reveal their secrets. Arnaud is attracted to the younger woman but does not pursue it for fear of rejection. He is reluctant to take risks and is content with the companionship he looks forward to every few days. Neither is comfortable with fully expressing their feelings. Nelly holds people at a distance, seeming to notice their needs but ultimately rejecting their advances with small but hurtful lies. She begins a relationship with M. Arnaud's book publisher Vincent (Jean-Hugues Anglade) but when she suspects that Arnaud is becoming possessive, she lies and tells him that she has slept with Vincent. Having made Arnaud jealous, she then callously dismisses Vincent when he asks her to move in with him. Some changes do seem to open up, however. Nelly leaves her husband and rents a studio apartment. Arnaud opens up and begins to share more of his life. There is a gallantry about the older man as he begins to communicate the pain of his divorce, his estranged relationship with his son, his financial dealings that turned bad, and his unfulfilled longings. Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud is the type of film that comes to mind when we think of French cinema: thoughtful, restrained, and sensitive; a delicately nuanced character study performed by accomplished actors. The film is "talky" but the conversation is so thoughtful and civilized that we can just sit back and drink it up like a glass of vintage Sauterne. While the characters are not without flaws, they are nonetheless very human and Sautet makes us care about them, revealing their subtleties to us in a way that evokes our compassion. The film conveys the characters' deep longing for connection but, like many of us, they are more comfortable with maintaining the status quo. At the end, nothing much seems to have changed but when Arnaud's ex-wife (Francoise Brion) comes to visit, a hint that passion may have entered the picture in an unforeseen manner is unmistakable.

Mitch-38 Michel Serrault, of whom I have the highest regard for his great talent, hits yet another home run with this role. He portrays a wealthy widower, who per chance, meets a sweet young woman, many years his junior. Nellie needs a job and Mr. Arnaud needs an editor. The wonderful friendship that these two engage in, is so sweet and affecting; it'll remind even the most independent person that friends are as real and precious as gold. Mr. Serrault's character has a humor drier than sherry. A very good film.