French Girl is a 2024 romantic comedy directed by James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright. The movie features Zach Braff, Evelyne Brochu, and Vanessa Hudgens.
Brooklyn high school teacher Gordon Kinski goes with his girlfriend, chef Sophie Tremblay, to her hometown of Quebec City to try for a job at a Michelin 3-star restaurant run by famous chef Ruby Collins. Gordon plans to propose to Sophie during this visit.
The film was released in the United States on February 9, 2024, and received mostly negative reviews.
Plot
Gordon Kinski, an eighth-grade English teacher in Brooklyn, plans to propose to his girlfriend, Sophie Tremblay, who is a talented chef. Sophie is invited to Quebec City for a trial to become the head chef at a well-known restaurant owned by her former girlfriend, Ruby Collins. Gordon joins Sophie on the trip because he has finished school for the summer, and they cancel their plans to visit upstate New York.
Before leaving, Gordon visits his father, Peter, to retrieve their family treasure, the Titanic engagement ring, which will be used for the proposal in Canada. Peter reminds Gordon about his fear of flying and gives him a pill to help him relax during the flight. Gordon, who has recently struggled with writing ideas for his books, becomes distracted by a new thought and must search for his mother’s ring, who has passed away.
On the plane, Gordon takes the pill Peter gave him, which was supposed to be Valium. However, he has a strong reaction. After landing, they call Peter and learn the pill was likely a quaalude instead.
When meeting Sophie’s family, they are unsure about Gordon. Several of Sophie’s relatives gather outside her parents’ home to greet them. Gordon, feeling nervous, carries their luggage to the room where they will stay. Sophie’s younger brother, Junior, approaches Gordon because he wants to become a police officer and needs to improve his English, which Gordon agrees to help with.
During dinner with Sophie’s family, Gordon says things that upset them, such as showing little interest in hockey. Ruby then arrives and takes over the conversation, while Gordon accidentally says things that cause embarrassment. One of the last things he says by mistake is that he agreed to help Junior with his English for a police exam. This upsets Gordon’s father, who wants Gordon to take over the family sheep farm.
Tensions grow as Gordon tries to understand the cultural differences between himself and Sophie’s family. Sophie learns, while traveling with her father to a cooking competition, that the family farm is in trouble. If they do not get a contract soon, they may have to sell it.
Meanwhile, Gordon stays home and finds an album in Sophie’s room showing her with Ruby, revealing they were once lovers. He tries to talk to his father about this, but Peter suggests proposing to Sophie quickly to prevent her from changing her mind again.
Sophie has a difficult day at the competition, as Ruby is strict with all the chefs trying out for the restaurant. Gordon spends time helping Junior with English and assisting Sophie’s father in preparing a lamb to earn his approval. When Sophie returns very late, they argue because she did not tell Gordon about her past relationship with Ruby.
After several events, including a car accident and a family funeral, Gordon and Sophie reconcile. They eventually propose, and everyone agrees to their relationship.
Production
Produced by Caramel Films, the movie was filmed in Quebec City and Montreal. Jean-François Lord was the cinematographer, and Scott Price composed the music. Jean-André Carrière was responsible for the production design, and Mariane Carter designed the costumes.
Critical response
The film received mostly negative reviews.
Amy Nicholson wrote in the New York Times: "The filmmakers, James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright, made the story very close to being a comedy that mocks something. However, there are at least a dozen funny lines in the film, especially a three-part joke from Ed Weeks as a snobbish food critic that starts with, 'Have you ever seen an emaciated dolphin?' The problem is that the actors did not perform in a way that worked well together: Hudgens played a very funny but over-the-top character; Brochu played a sincere heroine; and Braff’s character became increasingly difficult to understand, as he tried too hard to be kind. The more he tried to make the audience feel sorry for his character, the more Gordon’s actions seemed unacceptable."
Lisa Kennedy wrote in Variety: "For every creative or enjoyable romantic comedy, there are many that are unoriginal and poorly made—French Girl is one of these."
Radheyan Simonpillai wrote in The Globe and Mail: "It makes me wish for a Canadian romantic comedy that explores differences in culture that cause conflict in a way that feels connected to real life, and that reflects this country’s history."
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 25% approval rating based on 24 reviews.
Awards
At the 2024 Mammoth Film Festival, the film French Girl was nominated for Best Genre Film and Best Actor in a Feature Film (Zach Braff). It also won an award for International Filmmaking Achievement.