Movie Review: Some Girls (1988)

Genre: Romantic Comedy  

Director: Michael Hoffman  

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Connelly, Lila Kedrova  

Running Time: 94 minutes  

Synopsis: American college student Michael (Patrick Dempsey) heads to Quebec City at the invitation of his girlfriend Gabby (Jennifer Connelly), who had abruptly abandoned him mid-semester. Gabby lives in a spooky old mansion along with her parents and two sisters Irenka (Sheila Kelley) and Simone. Gabby is flirty but admits to Michael she no longer loves him. He is further disoriented by overtures from the two sisters and a series of surreal encounters with Gabby's Granny (Lila Kedrova), who is suffering from dementia and mistakes Michael for her deceased husband.

What Works Well: This quirky romantic comedy combines cloak-and-dagger aesthetics, sly behaviour, and minor fantasy elements. The European sensibility is emphasized within the French Canadian setting, where the sisters disassociate lust from romance, nudity is common (Gabby's father can only write while naked), generational bonds are strong, femininity remains an ethereal mystery, and the surrounding snowy forests can nurture desires and secrets. Michael is the outsider awakening to how little he understands a different culture.  

What Does Not Work As Well: As the central character, Michael is also unfortunately purely reactionary, reduced to a series of embarrassments, befuddlements, and bamboozlements. Elsewhere, some secondary characters (Gabby's mother, Irenka's sort-of boyfriend) contribute uneven influence.

Key Quote:

Gabby's father (to Michael): How many of my daughters have you slept with?

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.