Xavier is a 25 year old Frenchman, stuck in the same rut of life as most people his age. He's looking for something to help him get a job, when he discovers that a friend of the family can get him a job with the EU if he knew Spanish. So Xavier decides to enroll in an exchange program called Erasmus, where he will live and study in Barcelona.
After arriving Xavier ends up settling in with about 6 roommates from various European countries (Italy, Germany, England, Spain, Norway, Belgium) and the wild cast of characters creates some ingenious comic situations. The film though is quite charming, and is dead on in explaining what it is like to live in a foreign land, and to escape your roots. While the stereotypes that are examined are quite played out, they are shown in a way that seems unique to the characters and come out very warm and of course VERY FUNNY. A highlight of the film arrives when Wendy's English brother comes down to visit her, and we discover he's a dumb ass loud mouth comic who thinks he knows everything about all the other countries these people come from. He ends up providing the majority of the funniest scenes by poking fun at every person in the group at his own dumb expense. But the highlight of the film really is how it shows what it means to live in another country. In the beginning we see that Xavier is awkward from fumbling around trying to find his first apartment, to complaining about Catalan, and by the end with the t-shirt he receives from his roommates on the last day, we see how he has been transformed by the friends he has met from all over.
Quite a fun film, not perfect, but definatly a great film to see that will but a big smile on your face, and a warm feeling inside you once you have left the theatre.
Rating 8 out of 10
After arriving Xavier ends up settling in with about 6 roommates from various European countries (Italy, Germany, England, Spain, Norway, Belgium) and the wild cast of characters creates some ingenious comic situations. The film though is quite charming, and is dead on in explaining what it is like to live in a foreign land, and to escape your roots. While the stereotypes that are examined are quite played out, they are shown in a way that seems unique to the characters and come out very warm and of course VERY FUNNY. A highlight of the film arrives when Wendy's English brother comes down to visit her, and we discover he's a dumb ass loud mouth comic who thinks he knows everything about all the other countries these people come from. He ends up providing the majority of the funniest scenes by poking fun at every person in the group at his own dumb expense. But the highlight of the film really is how it shows what it means to live in another country. In the beginning we see that Xavier is awkward from fumbling around trying to find his first apartment, to complaining about Catalan, and by the end with the t-shirt he receives from his roommates on the last day, we see how he has been transformed by the friends he has met from all over.
Quite a fun film, not perfect, but definatly a great film to see that will but a big smile on your face, and a warm feeling inside you once you have left the theatre.
Rating 8 out of 10