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Review: Copacabana (2010) ★★★½

<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">It is always satisfying to see a supremely talented actor in role that fits their personality and abilities perfectly&period; Some characters just blend so seemlessly with the people portraying them that they cease to feel like characters&comma; and feel like extensions of the actors themselves&period; While Isabelle Huppert frequently chooses roles that fit her well&comma; none fits so perfectly as Babou in Marc Fitoussi’s comedy <em>Copacabana<&sol;em>&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Babou is the definition of a free spirit&colon; she dresses garishly&comma; surrounds herself with an eclectic mix of friends&comma; has a bizarre obsession with Brazilian culture&comma; and seems utterly incapable of holding &lpar;or even obtaining&rpar; a proper job&period; Though she is content with her rather unorthodox lifestyle&comma; her adult daughter&comma; Esméralda &lpar;played by Huppert’s real-life daughter&comma; Lolita Chammah&rpar; is not amused by her mother’s eccentricity&period; In an effort to improve relations with Esméralda and prove that she is capable of being &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;normal&comma;” Babou secures a job selling timeshares&period; While she excels as a saleswoman&comma; she struggles to win back a daughter who has written her mother off as a lost cause&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Though the plot is relatively straightforward&comma; the film is held up by an exceptional performance by Huppert&period; Little can be said about her abilities that hasn’t already been said&comma; but Babou is truly a character that she was born to play&period; The strange mannerisms&comma; the seemingly random mood changes and flights of fancy&comma; and her enigmatic demeanour all seem to be a reflection of Huppert herself&period; Even though she is generally appreciated more for her dramatic work&comma; Isabelle Huppert is brilliant as a comedic actress&comma; as she fits so well into absurd circumstances&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;1295" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-1295" style&equals;"width&colon; 850px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-1295" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;philosophyinfilm&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2018&sol;01&sol;copacabana-300x183&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Isabelle Huppert pics" width&equals;"850" height&equals;"518" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-1295" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Copacabana &lpar;2010&rpar;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">It is interesting to watch Huppert act alongside her own daughter&comma; especially since one imagines that the relationship must reflect their real-life relationship&comma; to one degree or another&period; While the mother-daughter dynamic is dramatized for the sake of the narrative&comma; and I’m sure that both Huppert and Chammah have a much more loving bond than their respective characters&comma; it seems like Chammah probably lived with some of the same frustrations&period; Having a somewhat eccentric actress as a mother was probably difficult at times&comma; and that pent-up angst really shows in the film&period; Though Lolita Chammah’s performance is not nearly as memorable as her mother’s&comma; she still captures the essence of the character well&comma; perfectly demonstrating the issues faced by the child of a misfit&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Despite the interesting characters and excellent performances&comma; the story doesn’t quite measure up to the quality one expects from one of Huppert’s films&period; <em>Copacabana<&sol;em> is not one of her most well-known films&comma; and this is somewhat understandable considering that&comma; when looked at objectively&comma; it is pretty pedestrian&period; Having said that&comma; there is nothing technically wrong with the film&period; It is funny throughout&comma; and entertaining despite its leisurely pace&period; But one can’t help but feel that something is missing&comma; like it was the filmmaker’s intention to include more&comma; but was forced to make cuts for one reason or another&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Nonetheless&comma; for those who are fans of Isabelle Huppert’s body of work&comma; or for those who simply enjoy a sardonic French comedy&comma; <em>Copacabana<&sol;em> is a must-see film&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">Rating&colon; <&sol;span>&starf;&starf;&starf;&half; <span class&equals;"s1">out of 5<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>If you&&num;8217&semi;d like to watch <em>Copacabana<&sol;em>&comma; it is currently available to purchase <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;gp&sol;product&sol;B0040MF2NO&sol;ref&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;qf&lowbar;asin&lowbar;il&lowbar;tl&quest;ie&equals;UTF8&amp&semi;tag&equals;mjones34880c-20&amp&semi;creative&equals;9325&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;as2&amp&semi;creativeASIN&equals;B0040MF2NO&amp&semi;linkId&equals;5ffb931b81451730f986b8aa13249134">via Amazon here<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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