BROKEN ENGLISH — ** 1/2 — Parker Posey, Melvil Poupaud, Drea de Matteo; rated PG-13 (profanity, brief sex, brief drugs, brief partial nudity).
Parker Posey has gotten into a rut playing broad caricatures, especially in Christopher Guest's semi-improvised "mockumentaries." So it is somewhat refreshing to see her playing a flesh-and-blood role in "Broken English."
In fact, her performance here reminds us all just what a good actress Posey can be with the right material. And she's definitely the best part of this comedy-drama, which is predictable and overly familiar.
Posey stars as Nora Wilder, the guest-services coordinator at a posh New York City hotel. Nora is so busy planning activities and parties for the VIP guests that she doesn't really have a life of her own. And an all-too-brief fling with a hotel guest — Hollywood star Nick Gable (Justin Theroux) — has left her feeling more embittered and hopeless than usual.
Nora's even skeptical when Mr. Right finally comes along, in the form of a charming Frenchman named Julien (Melvil Poupaud), who pretty much sweeps the unhappily single, thirtysomething woman off her feet.
Julien even offers Nora the opportunity of a lifetime. He wants her to come with him to France and leave behind her empty existence in the United States. But her many self-doubts and insecurities may prevent her from doing so.
It's pretty clear where this is going from the first frame, though Posey's performance does keep you interested.
Screenwriter/director Zoe Cassavetes also finds a way to squeeze her mother, Gena Rowlands, into the film (as Nora's nagging mother). Unfortunately, aside from Posey's Nora, few if any of the other characters are particularly well-developed.
That leaves Poupaud ("Le Divorce") fumbling a bit, which is a shame, since we know so little about Julien. Considerably more time is given to the characters played by Drea de Matteo and Tim Guinee, who are enduring boring marital strife.
"Broken English" is rated PG-13 for occasional profanity, a brief sex scene, brief drug content (prescription-drug use and references), and brief, partial female nudity. Running time: 97 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com