Chinese Puzzle

It has been 11 years since Xavier (Romain Duris, Populaire) left his girlfriend, Martine (Audrey Tatou, Thérèse Desqueyroux) in Paris as he headed to Barcelona for a semester’s study, forming a lifelong friendship with Isabelle (Cécile de France, Möbius) and making a tentative connection with Wendy (Kelly Reilly, Flight). It has been eight years since the gang reunited in Moscow, reliving old memories and finally sparking Xavier and Wendy’s romance. Now, New York beckons as struggling writer Xavier follows his ex-wife Wendy to the United States for the sake of their children. Isabelle remains on hand to dispense advice, but it is a visit from Martine that could be the start of something special.

Thus unravels writer/director Cédric Klapisch’s Chinese Puzzle (Casse-tête chinois), the third film in his trilogy that started with The Spanish Apartment and continued in Russian Dolls. Even after such a lengthy passage of time, the latest chapter again offers a slice of the lives of the offbeat pals and the individual idiosyncrasies that audiences have come to know and love are still at play. Xavier is as indecisive as ever, torn between amorous options. As usual, the three most significant women in his life drift in and out as he struggles to find his true purpose.

Part of what now endears in Chinese Puzzle is the affection perpetuated by on-and-off screen comparability; as with Richard Linklater’s Before films, as viewers have watched the characters grow and age, they have done so in tandem. Similar to François Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel efforts, much of the series’ prolonged success stems from audiences projecting their experiences onto their fictional counterparts, or checking in with them like old friends. Nostalgia and sentimentality are forever evident in their latest adventure, this time not as a youthful overseas jaunt or a fun trip to see someone get married, but through the mundane reality of encroaching middle age. The filmmaker attentively summarises the inherent history to offer an entry point for newcomers; however the feature best serves fans of the ongoing saga.

Where this art-house franchise has always excelled is in its cast, and even though the ensemble has been whittled down over the years as subplots take tangential characters off in different directions, the continued presence of its central quartet offers energy and interest beyond the obvious comfort and continuity. With a comedic mood taking precedence over the fits and spurts of philosophical contemplation, the film becomes a showcase for its leading man and his elegant brand of thoughtful amusement. The genial Duris and spirited Tatou have further capitalised upon their winning combination in Michel Gondry’s Mood Indigo, evolving into their pairing to the point that it now seems effortless. Reilly and de France may have less screen time, but both convey the complexities that build over years of interactions.

Klapisch brings all his easy elements – the pre-made story, the built-in fondness, the beloved characters, the admired actors and his gentle visual style – to the boil in a light and frothy concoction that’s readily digestible; however the feature does little more than reshape the familiar into a standard form. Thankfully, any overblown sense of seriousness is absent as gags and gimmickry litter the narrative, and the New York setting provides a perfectly picturesque backdrop to an effort that apes the works of Woody Allen more and more as it hones in on its chief protagonist. A fourth instalment of Xavier’s antics would not be unwelcome, with the door left open for more of the same. Alas, for all its affability and fun frivolity, Chinese Puzzle does reveal the series as one of considerable diminishing returns.

Rating: 3 out of 5 

Chinese Puzzle (Casse-tête chinois)