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READ MY LIPS (2002) As Carla, a brown smudge of a partially deaf secretary in this expertly sinister, office-as-devil's-playground French thriller, Emmanuelle Devos is the precise opposite of Stacy… Unrated PT115M Mystery and Thriller Vincent Cassel Emmanuelle Devos Olivier Gourmet Olivier Perrier Magnolia Pictures
Movie Review

READ MY LIPS (2002)

MPAA Rating: Unrated

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EW's GRADE
A-

Details Limited Release: Jul 05, 2002; Rated: Unrated; Length: 115 Minutes; Genre: Mystery and Thriller; With: Vincent Cassel and Emmanuelle Devos; Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

As Carla, a brown smudge of a partially deaf secretary in this expertly sinister, office-as-devil's-playground French thriller, Emmanuelle Devos is the precise opposite of Stacy Edwards as the darkly attractive, hearing-impaired target of male mischief in In the Company of Men. Devos (who won a Cesar for her performance) looks truly mousy while conveying private, sullen fury; her everyday, oppressive working conditions (captured by director Jacques Audiard with slicing economy) are identifiably ordinary; and the escape she finds from her average misery is truly shocking, the opposite of victimhood. First she turns down her hearing aids to manage her rage. Then she hires a grimy ex-con (experienced thug-player Vincent Cassel) as her assistant. He can rob, she can lip-read, and Audiard contrasts their complementary skills and weaknesses (they're both clumsy and wary of intimacy) with real originality. The attraction between these two marginal characters is complex from the start -- and, refreshingly, stays that way.

Originally posted Jul 19, 2002 Published in issue #663 Jul 19, 2002 Order article reprints