Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
A heartbroken literary critic turns his despair into creativity following a bitter divorce, only to encounter an enchanting beauty who poses a major challenge to his newfound cynicism. Marc Marronnier thought his marriage was going well until his wife deemed him immature, and left him for a high-profile writer. Devastated, he began filtering all of his heartache into a misanthropic manuscript decrying the virtues of true love. But later, when Marc falls hard for his cousin's radiant and gorgeous wife, his entire life is turned upside down. Louise Bourgoin and Gaspard Proust star in a film by actor and author-turned-director Frederic Beigbeder.
Love Lasts Three Years is a moderately charming French romantic comedy based on Frédéric Beigbeder's semi-autobiographical novel. The plot hits familiar beats of post-divorce cynicism giving way to new love, with some witty literary self-awareness that elevates it slightly above generic rom-com fare. The acting from Bourgoin and Proust is competent and carries a certain Parisian charm, though neither performance is particularly revelatory. Cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable, leaning on standard French romantic visual vocabulary without much distinctive flair. The film's novelty is limited — the 'cynical writer rediscovers love' premise is well-worn territory, and while the autobiographical meta-layer adds mild interest, it doesn't distinguish the film strongly. The ending resolves in a bittersweet but somewhat predictable fashion consistent with its melancholic romantic tone, leaving little lasting impression.