3 Hearts (2014) User Reviews (15)

An erratic psychological Vaudeville

[FrenchEddieFelson · 6/10 · 17 April 2019]

I must admit that I approached this film with a quite special a priori. On one hand, I love the actors Benoît Poelvoorde and Chiara Mastroianni. On the other hand, the last three movies of Benoît Jacquot (i.e. Dernier amour, Éva, À jamais) are, in my humble opinion, relatively mediocre.

Marc is a caricature of what is called in French a 'coeur d'artichaut': he falls easily in love. Too easily! Thus, Marc encounters Sylvie but, as soon as they know each other, they lose sight of each other, following an unforeseen event. A few days later, Marc meets Sophie by chance and falls in love ... again. It turns out that Sophie is unfortunately the sister of Sylvie. The film traces then a triangular relationship with Marc and the two sisters, Sylvie and Sophie. As you may guess, the wheels will soon be off the cart!

As usual with Benoît Jacquot, the script is far-fetched and Benoît Jacquot seems to go astray or wander. But the quatuor Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve is excellent. Even if his character is barely credible, Benoît Poelvoorde is really great. And Chiara Mastroianni is exceptionally magnificent.

As a synthesis: 5/6 of 10. Although the script is lopsided, the film contains some sublime scenes.

PS: Three coeurs is the tenth film gathering Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, after these ones: Les lignes de Wellington (2012), Les bien-aimés (2011), Bancs publics (Versailles rive droite) (2009), Un conte de Noël (2008), Persepolis (2007), Le temps retrouvé, d'après l'oeuvre de Marcel Proust (1999), Les voleurs (1996), Ma saison préférée (1993) and À nous deux (1979). Champagne !

A decent, but ultimately frustrating psychological romance

[ajfdavie · 5/10 · 9 March 2015]

This was a funny one for me... while there was a lot to admire about this movie, there were several things that irritated me about it.

On the one hand, it was, in many respects a well-made film; the acting was superb (almost always the case in European movies), the pacing was good, and it was well shot. Some of the scenes were excellent, and the director did a fantastic job of building the tension, and making the audience squirm as the main protagonist dug himself deeper and deeper into a hole of self-destruction. The ending was left deliberately and intriguingly ambiguous (which I like). There were also moments of real comedy, which were well-placed.

There were, however, a number of frustrating aspects to it. Several elements of the plot were glaringly improbable, which made the characters harder to empathise with, and the movie harder to take seriously. The musical score was almost comically ominous and melodramatic. A narrator suddenly popped up halfway through the movie and only appeared twice more - a needless, distracting and frankly baffling gimmick. One strand of the plot fizzled out and proved ultimately irrelevant.

In summary, this movie is worth seeing if there's nothing else on. There are some interesting ideas, some great scenes, and its emotional, passionate nature would appeal to the romantics of this world. The cast is also superb. There were, however, several problems with it, which served to exasperate me.

Wildly improbable.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 28 July 2015]

A man misses his train and as a result he meets a lady. They spend the night together (you aren't sure if they had sex...this is a bit vague) and before he leaves the next morning to go home, they agree to meet...but they don't know each other's names. He is late for the meeting (because he's an idiot) and she eventually leaves--and normally this would be the end of that. However, some time passes and the same man ends up meeting another woman. They fall in love and marry...and it turns out she's the sister of the woman at the beginning of the film. Talk about awkward family reunions!

When the new husband sees his sister-in-law later, they naturally recognize each other but neither says anything. Several years pass and there still is an unspoken awkwardness between the man and his sister-in-law. Out of the blue, however, they begin an affair. Not surprisingly, this isn't a particularly good idea and things get complicated--though by the end of the film, you get the idea everything will inexplicably work out fine!

One thing I appreciated in this film as well as in many French films is that the folks in the movie are NOT Hollywood beauties nor even close to it. They seem very ordinary and are middle-aged and this makes the film seem a bit more real. This being said, however, the story is very contrived. After all, what are the odds of any of this happening?! The coincidence that the woman he marries is the sister of the woman at the beginning of the film? That he would end up being late just like in "An Affair to Remember" (minus the auto accident). That the two at the beginning of the film would later become lovers...especially since they never really talked between then and the beginning of the movie? And, ultimately, that the mother-in-law would somehow guess exactly what is happening--despite there really being no evidence of this affair. All of this seems a bit far-fetched. Additionally, it was very difficult to empathize with the characters who had the affair--they just seemed like selfish jerks. Because of all these difficulties with the script, I still give the film a 5--simply because the acting is very good though the story left a bit to be desired.

A terrific psychological thriller

[searchanddestroy-1 · 22 September 2014]

All the characters here give outstanding performances. Benoit Poelvoerde, Chiara Mastroianni, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Cathy Deneuve, every one here. A drama that slowly brings you to the thriller, but without any criminal scheme.

The story of an income taxes clerk who falls for a Young woman. And suddenly he misses a dating with her and they stop here their Relationship. And later he meets the girl's sister, falls for her too, marries her and finally finds out the whole truth. And the audience is glued only because of this. Will the married gal realize that her sister, the person she loves the most, already knows her man?

Terrific. The best of the both Benoit Jacquot and Poelvoerde.

Only the last image disappoints me.

Promising Setup that Later Disappoints

[pc95 · 6/10 · 29 November 2015]

(spoilers)French "3 Hearts", directed as well as cowritten by Benoit Jacquot is an entertaining but flawed movie that has a good first setup and pull-in to get one involved in the drama, but the flaws come forth in the the final 3rd as the affair and lust seem to trump a wife and child. At this point in the movie, disgust really asserts itself and the movie becomes repulsive and base. The lead guy is a complete twit and sleaze, while the plausibility was already strained. Moreover, the main fellow is questionably lacking emotionally and fairly creepy. It is puzzling that the 2 attractive sisters would both be fiery towards him. The writing falls short when resolution is needed. More rationality would have served the story better, not teenage antics. You had an inkling, that the end would pop up as such, and it was a cop-out. Can't adults talk about their feelings? Check out "Sex Lies and Videotapes", for a superior movie on the subject matter. Anyway, Fairly disappointing 6/10 with some good elements and drama especially initially that cannot hold up later in the movie.

Funny take

[sergelamarche · 7/10 · 15 November 2021]

Super acting to make the thing believable. It is amusing the way it is set up and I kind of like the idea that love and sex are not quite the same to the point that a frustrated love at first meeting reach out awkwardly. Can't say this could happen to a lot of people.

a weak romance

[ramondeleeuw · 4/10 · 18 October 2014]

Unfortunately, this movie did not work well for me. I must admit I don't really like romances, but I can appreciate it when it's well done. The story is quite weak. It doesn't really grab the attention, it does not really convince. It tries to build up a tension (music is anticipating) to something that might happen later on in the movie; but the movie-makers placed importance and weight where I did not experience much importance and weight. Poelvoorde does not play bad, but the character he must play does not give him much room to play well; probably the character itself does not work sufficiently. I know Poelvoorde can play well, having seen him in his first film... Best acting is by Deneuve though she has not a big role. All in all this was a disappointing movie for me.

games of hazard

[dromasca · 6/10 · 22 February 2018]

Director Benoît Jacquot's "3 coeurs" ("3 Hearts") gathers on screen a stellar cast. The three lead feminine roles are trusted to Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg, the daughter of ..., and Chiara Mastroianni, also the daughter of ... and also the daughter of Deneuve in real life. Gainsbourg and Mastroianni play the roles of two sisters in whose life shows up a man - the role is played by Benoît Poelvoorde, whom I have last time seen playing the role of ... God in The Brand New Testament, a film which you should search to see if you happen to have missed. The names and fame of the actors were the principal reasons for which I chose to see this film, and probably also the main reasons for which I will remember it.

Marc Beaulieu (Benoît Poelvoorde) is a tax inspector. A good one and probably even a man of integrity because we see him involved in valiantly handling a high-level corruption case (not really related to the rest of the story). Numbers and determinism may be his profession, but hazard seems to reign in his personal life, which looks like a mess in which he attracts also the two sisters, one after the other. His heart is also feeble, the heart which is said to be for humans the center of noble emotions, but which also distracts and derails the paths of life when it physically malfunctions. Should we let hazard (or destiny) reign upon our lives, or should we try to fix its effects? Is this even possible?

The questions raised by the story in the film are interesting, the resulting film is not really up to the premises. The principal reason is the pace of the story, which lingers for long periods, to jump suddenly at some moments, without a good connection between the different episodes. Good acting cannot save the flaws of the story and especially of the story telling, and despite the promises "3 coeurs" ends by being just another love triangle movie.

Only fanatic Francophiles will find this "passionfest" compelling!

[Turfseer · 4/10 · 13 April 2015]

Like a number of "typically" French films I see, Benoit Jacquot's "3 Hearts," is no different. When questioned after watching such films, I invariably remark, "that was very French!" While I realize that stereotyping is not a very admirable pursuit, I still must argue that there is a certain percentage of French people (don't ask me what the percentage is) who continue to embrace the apparent national pastime-and that of course is the pursuit of "passion."

Every few minutes we're reminded (through its galling overuse of a few measures of its repetitious soundtrack) that the film is supposed to be some kind of thriller. The main character is Marc, a government tax inspector, who occasionally must take the train to provincial towns near Paris, to perform audits. One night, after missing his train, he meets on the streets, Sylvie, an attractive woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. Perhaps it's their mutual love for nicotine or simply an unconscious recognition that they're both lonely hearts, that the two make such an immediate connection.

Unfortunately, after they agree to meet at a park in Paris the next day, Marc has a panic attack and gets there two hours late, a few minutes after Sylvie has left. Sylvie ends up agreeing to go with her husband to Minneapolis but the story hasn't ended. Through the greatest of coincidences, Marc runs into Sylvie's sister, Sophie, who's having trouble with the books to the family antique business. Just like Sylvie, I found it difficult to understand why the sister now falls for the nondescript Marc. Funny how Marc doesn't look at the top of the stairs on the walls at Sophie and Sylvie's house since he would have easily deducted that Sophie was Sylvie's sister. It's only after an engagement that he stumbles on Sophie's computer where he comes face to face with Sylvie, who is trying to connect with her sister, via a Skype session.

The rest of the tedious "3 Hearts" depicts the arrival of Sylvie for Marc and Sophie's wedding. Wouldn't you know it, but Marc and Sylvie end up hooking up for some passionate goings on. But that's all you get: passionand nothing else. Not one iota of character development involving any of the principals. Director Jacquot is simply content to smugly ask for gold stars due to the intensity of Marc and Sylvie's desire to copulate like enraptured bunny rabbits in heat. And to emphasize how "passionate" these neurotic lovers are, instead of going back to his wife and child, Marc walks off into the sunset with Sylvie!

I forgot to mention there is a sub-plot: Marc discovers that the mayor of the provincial town he's been auditing has been cooking the books. There is some indication that the powerful man may try and retaliate against Marc, but he doesn't seem to care (due to his obsession with Sylvie). The sub-plot goes nowhere when the whole issue of the Mayor's criminality, never resolved.

"3 Hearts" keeps your interest only insofar as to how the love triangle will resolve. When we find out next to nothing about Marc and Sylvie after they resume their passionate canoodling, one realizes that only the most passionate of Francophiles will find this "passionfest" something quite compelling. For others such as myself, the pursuit of passion as only a means to an end, is no substitute for true intellectual enlightenment.

Ambivalent look at choice between chemistry and stability

[devikamenon · 5/10 · 13 June 2016]

Is there such a thing as true love at first sight? This film attempts to follow the course of three people's lives in the exploration of the question, even if there is no answer forthcoming. Is there ever?

One night in a small French town, a tax accountant named Marc has missed the last train to Paris and chances upon a woman in a hotel bar. They start talking, rather, he runs after her, and we're told they spend the night wandering around in perfect harmony. No names or numbers or other mundane details are exchanged, although they do promise to meet the next week at a certain location in Paris.

This seems to be the only time the two characters actually do something, as in, take a decision. From here on out, life just takes over. The meeting at the Jardin de Toulieres (jaw-droppingly beautiful, what is it with Paris and its gardens) never takes place. Marc is prone to panic attacks, you see. Or was it an actual heart attack? Anyway, the two would-be lovers are thus separated. Thereafter, Marc somehow meets another woman, falls in love, marries. But ah! this new woman, Sophie, unbeknownst to all, is actually the sister of the old one, Sylvie. Ergo, path to destruction has been charted.

Read full review at: http://devikamenon.blogspot.com/2016/06/french- movie-friday-3-coeurs.html

Moving piece

[cheer88 · 8/10 · 2 August 2015]

I chose to watch it by coincidence. I could see most reviews were not favorable. It's slow in pace and lacked of dialogues and physical actions also. Yet, the actors and actresses resonated with me.

The story revealed how falling in love in first sight happened if you ever vouched for it. It's far from the Cinderella story. On the contrary, the subsequent was tragic. The twists and turns of three involved parties had fateful endings. Nonetheless, it left me long lasting reflections.

Frequently, American movies overwhelmed with dialogues and actions. Inadvertently, audience are practically told how to feel also. Employing body languages and facial expressions to depict the story would raise audience's senses for a change. Movies like this could linger in your thought for a while. They also require higher degrees of crafts which actors here sometimes are not equipped to do.

It's not a dramatic one but you will remember and be moved by. I would recommend it.

21st century film ?

[flejklw · 2/10 · 11 September 2022]

Why is this film rated 6/10, if this was a period drama, before mobile phones, maybe when they used pigeons and mail took over 4 days to arrive, it would make sense, but this film is set in the present and in order for the plot/script to work there had to be so many gaps to achieve the outcome.

So, who in their right mind would travel to Paris, not knowing each others name or taking each others phone numbers, I dunno, just in case I could'nt make it, especially when one has admitted to heart problems. Who ever wrote the script to this film obviously realized it would be over in the first 10 minutes.

Also, I would like to know what Marc puts in his tea to be able to pull 2 women in 5 minutes, and he should do the lottery, having pulled sisters ( bit of a coincidence ) what are the chances.

I guess the actual film has some good points but only deserves a 2/10.

Wonderful film about love, passion, chance

[mplotni · 10/10 · 24 September 2016]

Don't be fooled by the low rating. Totally loved this film. Very realistic. This is not a Hollywood film with a lot of special effects. So if you are looking for a fairy tale, move on to the next film in queue. The cast is absolutely superb - very real life, all very likable. I loved the three main characters played by Benoit, Charlotte and Chiara. It is hard to dictate whom and how to love, how to fall out of love. And the film is about emotional turmoil involved in chance meetings and close-knit triangles. The ending is open to interpretation. And last, but not least, I totally and completely disagree with other reviewers who mentioned that the cast is sub-par (so far from reality). Great film.

Ignore the pro Hollywood reviews

[ramonicenteno · 10/10 · 10 August 2021]

This is a wonderful, nicely told story. If you are into the depths of love, its intricate paths, its death ends, this is for you. This is an entertaining yet thoughtful exploration of the intricacies of romantic love, sisterhood, and mother's love. You will struggle to take a side and will leave the film gently touched. Think twice if you are only expecting just another predictable Hollywood film.

A film about hearts and true love

[robbystoner · 8/10 · 28 December 2015]

This film starts off a little slow but gradually picks up place and momentum.

The main protagonists in this film are two sisters and a tax accountant.

The two sisters run an antique shop in a small town in France.

The tax accountant visits the town for a business meeting meets his soul mate (the older of the two sisters played by Gaisborough) at the beginning of the film. They agree to to meet in Paris but he misses the meeting and she leaves for the US.

By chance, the younger sister has tax troubles and goes to the accountants office and meets him and he helps her and they eventually fall in love. He winds up marrying the younger sister. The main tension in the film is in the fact that he doesn't know he married the sister of his soul mate and it's not revealed until about half way through the film.

As the film progresses and the original connection and relationship between the accountant and the older sister is slowly revealed to both characters and they commence an affair behind the younger sisters back.

The film ends tragically.

The pace of the film is a little slow at the beginning but picks up pace as the story progresses.

A few plot holes remain but ultimately don't detract from the quality of the film. The film is about finding a true love and soul mate (the accountant and the older sister) and finding true happiness and stability (the accountant and the younger sister) and having to chose between the two.