This movie follows a novelist on a book tour around Europe. Unfortunately, the book tour doesn't go as planned as her publisher goes bankrupt the day the novel comes out. I want to start out by saying this movie had a lot of potential. It starts out pretty well too but it all goes downhill from there. The acting is not necessarily bad but it's average at best. The music choices in this movie however totally ruined it for me. It was great at the start but then the music turns into really mediocre second-rate Hollywood romance movie music. The humor is dry if there is any. The ending/big climax of the movie was totally underwhelming as well. On the plus side, however, there are some really beautiful scenic shots of European cities but that's about it. However, if you are a writer yourself or you're a big reader, you may enjoy parts of the movie.
20 Reviews
made on a penny in a pandemic europe
ops-5253523 September 2020
Is my first response to this flick. its a flight and road trip story about a young female writer, doing a booktour through europe, starting in venice, she find her hotel reservation not excisting. talking to her publisher at home she gets to know that the company is bankrupt, and the author has to make her way on her own, pennyless, the only thing that is for sure is that all her plane tickets has been prepaid, so the travel can be done anyway.
so if you like a life travelling europe, with your books in your bag and the bookworms crawling in and out of your ears this maybe a good flick for you.
productionwise, its colourfilled and with beautiful scenic views, its filmographic impression seems to me a bit colourenhanced, but well put together. the score varies a lot, starting of in a strange adventourous tone but turns over to a more cheap standard as the film develops. the outdoor shoots seems very pandemic in its surroundings, at places where you'd expect to see lots of people its deserted, and pretty calm
the acting are average, the main female caracter does a very nice job, acting wice and looking extremely good, a bit sexy you might say, and is in a good companionship with the contents of very sexually written nature of the book she's touring with, with the title'' dont read this on a plane''.
so if you need to switch of your daily stress, then this is a fun little romp of caracter development, and touring europe on a empty wallet for dummies, then the grumpy old man recommends
so if you like a life travelling europe, with your books in your bag and the bookworms crawling in and out of your ears this maybe a good flick for you.
productionwise, its colourfilled and with beautiful scenic views, its filmographic impression seems to me a bit colourenhanced, but well put together. the score varies a lot, starting of in a strange adventourous tone but turns over to a more cheap standard as the film develops. the outdoor shoots seems very pandemic in its surroundings, at places where you'd expect to see lots of people its deserted, and pretty calm
the acting are average, the main female caracter does a very nice job, acting wice and looking extremely good, a bit sexy you might say, and is in a good companionship with the contents of very sexually written nature of the book she's touring with, with the title'' dont read this on a plane''.
so if you need to switch of your daily stress, then this is a fun little romp of caracter development, and touring europe on a empty wallet for dummies, then the grumpy old man recommends
Lots of unrealized potential
loudluthrn23 June 2021
This was a pleasant little movie, but the attempt at light but more overt comedy (mostly centered on the main character's reading to patrons from her erotic book) often fell flat. The writing in general was not very inspired. I think the multicultural cast did well with the script they had, but the storyline and character development worked against their efforts. Overall, I thought the cast was relatively well balanced although certainly there seemed to be newcomers and perhaps some language and cultural challenges in communicating the story. On the plus side, if you traveled low budget in Europe, you will relate to aspects of this film. That could have been capitalized on. Yet, the movie is more about the main character's self discovery than travel, and I think developing more humor and empathy from her experience should have been drawn out by the writer's. As for the cinematography, I found it top notch. Many scenes were stunning.
Stylishly Boring
ackfoo22 January 2022
I turned it off after sixteen minutes when I realized that I would not care if someone broke in and stabbed the main character with a knitting needle, except that it would have improved the film.
This problem is endemic in modern cinema. You ask me to become involved with a character without giving me any reason to do so. She's not funny, or interesting, or assertive. She says nothing clever or thoughtful or interesting. So why would I waste more than sixteen minutes watching her?
I'm presuming that she ends up on some sort of journey of self-discovery or enlightnment, but, frankly, I don't care.
This problem is endemic in modern cinema. You ask me to become involved with a character without giving me any reason to do so. She's not funny, or interesting, or assertive. She says nothing clever or thoughtful or interesting. So why would I waste more than sixteen minutes watching her?
I'm presuming that she ends up on some sort of journey of self-discovery or enlightnment, but, frankly, I don't care.
A common debate on a man wrote a woman's point of view
kmusic116 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Let me start by it is a common debate on the title.
I do understand what the writer is trying to show but there was a flaw. Everyone's not perfect and this movie shows.
The trailer shows exactly what I was expecting but instead of adventure as a backpacker, it was more about a story of a lack common sense woman. I was about to leave on the day three scene as it was repetitive. The ending should've just stopped at the part where she's done with the flashbacks. It is more memorable that way.
The part where she answered the trick question... it was a man's perspective.
Next issue I have, are the locations, music choice and the main actress. I do agree the travel around Europe is fun but the publisher is all the way from Newcastle was all over the place. There was no character development on how she got a publisher from Newcastle other than the stories she have in her book. Music choices. Oh, where should I start? It was messy. I liked the second half of the music in the movie but the first half was so messy that I don't understand the relation between the scene and the music. It was well-done, yes. But not in that tone. Main actress. I understand that she's hired for her accent and her emotion delivery. However, it was hard for me to hear her act. Her emotions delivery was great but her enunciation need more work. The writer... tend to insert more Australian slurs in the script. Made the movie purely suitable for Australians. That's one of the confusion I have when trying to make sense of the storytelling.
However, the movie is definitely not my cup of tea. Because I did try to see the goodness over the flaws but there were so many flaws. Overall, thank you to everyone who put an effort for this movie and good luck for many projects to come.
Next issue I have, are the locations, music choice and the main actress. I do agree the travel around Europe is fun but the publisher is all the way from Newcastle was all over the place. There was no character development on how she got a publisher from Newcastle other than the stories she have in her book. Music choices. Oh, where should I start? It was messy. I liked the second half of the music in the movie but the first half was so messy that I don't understand the relation between the scene and the music. It was well-done, yes. But not in that tone. Main actress. I understand that she's hired for her accent and her emotion delivery. However, it was hard for me to hear her act. Her emotions delivery was great but her enunciation need more work. The writer... tend to insert more Australian slurs in the script. Made the movie purely suitable for Australians. That's one of the confusion I have when trying to make sense of the storytelling.
However, the movie is definitely not my cup of tea. Because I did try to see the goodness over the flaws but there were so many flaws. Overall, thank you to everyone who put an effort for this movie and good luck for many projects to come.
The message is about the journey
rahshe27 February 2021
I would encourage anyone who is striving, struggling, and pushing on a journey to make your life vision a reality. This movie is about what's happens when your meet with a road block on your journey to greatness. Yes, it's a movie, but sometimes movies are meant to do more than entertain there is a lesson to learn.
A Euro Version of Eat Prey Love
panaceamedia13 October 2022
The movie is well made. The main character is adorable and a solid actress. There are a couple of scenes I enjoyed. Everything else was nauseating.
While the actress did a great job, her character gave me the willies and I kept hoping she would be Taken. Just another spoiled princess using people as she prances through life doing whatever she wants, thinking only of herself. This alone would be fine if her character developed or the consequences of this mentality were shown. Instead, the movie sees nothing wrong with her behavior.
Even her boss is helping her out while he sits alone in his bankrupt office as she makes it all about her all the time.
While I'm not "poly" myself, I am not knocking that lifestyle for those inclined, however, I find it unlikely a man would be content with his wife spreading her personal juices across the world while he is stuck surrounded by men (all hints suggested he was a straight male, so while she is out trapezing across the Earth (the safe rich parts where people do you favors for nothing), he doesn't even have a women to look at - especially when the oil rig's internet is down).
If you like Eat, Prey, Love, Sex in the City, Madame Bovary, or any of those type of stories of narcissistic women, then you should enjoy this. Also, if you are superficial, then you might enjoy staring at the leading lady for however long this movie lasts. Otherwise, you can safely skip this film and miss nothing important.
While the actress did a great job, her character gave me the willies and I kept hoping she would be Taken. Just another spoiled princess using people as she prances through life doing whatever she wants, thinking only of herself. This alone would be fine if her character developed or the consequences of this mentality were shown. Instead, the movie sees nothing wrong with her behavior.
Even her boss is helping her out while he sits alone in his bankrupt office as she makes it all about her all the time.
While I'm not "poly" myself, I am not knocking that lifestyle for those inclined, however, I find it unlikely a man would be content with his wife spreading her personal juices across the world while he is stuck surrounded by men (all hints suggested he was a straight male, so while she is out trapezing across the Earth (the safe rich parts where people do you favors for nothing), he doesn't even have a women to look at - especially when the oil rig's internet is down).
If you like Eat, Prey, Love, Sex in the City, Madame Bovary, or any of those type of stories of narcissistic women, then you should enjoy this. Also, if you are superficial, then you might enjoy staring at the leading lady for however long this movie lasts. Otherwise, you can safely skip this film and miss nothing important.
Great
Roguemisty2 October 2020
A pleasant surprise
bugger-1707123 September 2020
The first thing we need to get out of the way is: even though this movie is categorized as a comedy, it does not really try to be funny. That does not mean it is bad, however. It's more of a slice-of-life character exploration with a very interesting subject matter. The film is devoid of clichée's, which I appreciated, and shows a woman making her way through an European book tour while having minimal resources and an out of reach husband. The film takes place in many different countries, and I liked how it treated each country that appeared, with respect. There were no cheap jokes at the expense of a certain culture or custom.
The cinematography was well-done, there are some beautiful shots, and the accents of the characters were adorable. The one frustrating part of the movie was how multi-lingual it was. This itself would not be a problem, but the movie did not come with subtitles to assist in understanding all the languages that appeared, which became bothersome after a while.
My favorite scene was when our main character gave a reading to the one french lady in a book store, which went as you would expect, but it was still entertaining.
Overall, this movie was relaxing, peaceful, and relatable. I am glad I watched it, because of how unique it was. If you want a simple movie that doesn't challenge you too much, but still holds your attention, this one might just be perfect.
The cinematography was well-done, there are some beautiful shots, and the accents of the characters were adorable. The one frustrating part of the movie was how multi-lingual it was. This itself would not be a problem, but the movie did not come with subtitles to assist in understanding all the languages that appeared, which became bothersome after a while.
My favorite scene was when our main character gave a reading to the one french lady in a book store, which went as you would expect, but it was still entertaining.
Overall, this movie was relaxing, peaceful, and relatable. I am glad I watched it, because of how unique it was. If you want a simple movie that doesn't challenge you too much, but still holds your attention, this one might just be perfect.
Reaffirmed my faith in modern cinema
patc-54 April 2021
I have all but given up on the silly stuff that is being produced today. When I watch some of the movies of the 30's,40s and 50s I just find myself appreciating story lines that rely and clever plots and dialog. Not to mention the beautiful clothes and manners.
"Don't Read this on a plane" does not rely on the supernatural, violence or sex. It's plot engine is a young girl making her way through Europe largely on her wits. First and foremost it is superbly cast. Second the cinematography is first class. The plot is a delicious series of encounters in the modern world of Europe. Very real but also with a dash of tenderness. Sort of like real life (if we are lucky). The only unreal aspect (and in a nod to my old movies) the heroine is absolutely beautifully dressed throughout. Quite a feat with just one rolling suitcase.
Here is the thing. Cinema is the art form of our time and it's job is to inspire us with tales of 'real life' done well. All the elegant nuances that make up the 'soft parade' Enjoy this movie! Real life will just seem a little more fun afterward.
"Don't Read this on a plane" does not rely on the supernatural, violence or sex. It's plot engine is a young girl making her way through Europe largely on her wits. First and foremost it is superbly cast. Second the cinematography is first class. The plot is a delicious series of encounters in the modern world of Europe. Very real but also with a dash of tenderness. Sort of like real life (if we are lucky). The only unreal aspect (and in a nod to my old movies) the heroine is absolutely beautifully dressed throughout. Quite a feat with just one rolling suitcase.
Here is the thing. Cinema is the art form of our time and it's job is to inspire us with tales of 'real life' done well. All the elegant nuances that make up the 'soft parade' Enjoy this movie! Real life will just seem a little more fun afterward.
A cute story
jamonitmack26 February 2021
I loved this movie. I thought it had a nice traveling charm and left me wanting to travel more. She is such a cute personality and the story overall is good. The ending isn't a home run but overall a great movie and definitely worth the time.
Nice one, This movie is like almost reading a book.
surkant07-122-17961730 September 2020
The movie: Don't Read This on a Plane.
Isn't a movie that you will regret that you have wasted your time. Try to enjoy it like reading book, a movie that you will enjoy.
It was boring when I was watching it like a movie when I understood that I had to enjoy it like a reading a book it was very nice.
I did not regret after watching this move I hope you willl also find it interesting.
Isn't a movie that you will regret that you have wasted your time. Try to enjoy it like reading book, a movie that you will enjoy.
It was boring when I was watching it like a movie when I understood that I had to enjoy it like a reading a book it was very nice.
I did not regret after watching this move I hope you willl also find it interesting.
I'm a novelist - this film hit the spot!
Sasha_Lauren8 February 2021
Jovanna Fey (played with a wonderful, coy, dry humor by Sophie Desmarais), is a struggling novelist who is about to embark on a book tour in Europe. One small problem though; her publisher alerts her by phone at the last minute before the tour launch that he's gone bankrupt. The plane tickets are paid for, but financially challenged Jovanna, (who now must cover the tax, food, accommodations, promotions, insurance, communications, and miscellaneous expenses), takes off anyway.
After staying for a mostly sleepless first night in a youth hostel, (been there, done that), she discovers the MOAF, Mattress on a Floor, organization. We follow Jovanna as she hitchhikes and wheels her bag over bumpy roads physically and metaphorically in this funny, provocative, imperfect slice-of-life film. We trail along as she makes her way from town to town, reading from her strange and alluring book in various bookshops from Venice, Porto, Burgandy, Budapest, Santorini, and Romania. These readings grew on me as the narrative unfolded like a slightly askew origami swan.
Jovanna gets no help from her husband who works as a cook on an off-shore oil rig with crackling, unfeasible phone reception at best. His job is twenty-eight days on, twenty-eight days off, which suits their marriage perfectly as they jump each other after their time apart and then are happy for their independence.
Australian filmmaker Stuart McBratney took risks that worked beautifully for me, and will not work for others, as is clear by the wide range of ratings. There is charming scene where Jovanna and a new friend talk about their favorite words. I could hug the writer for this spot on conversation. I highly recommend Don't Read This On A Plane for people like me who love quirky, slow burn, indie films, aren't expecting the norm, and enjoy a light, offbeat, character rich, meandering travel romp.
Classic quotable line, "The coin was wrong. But I had to flip it to find out."
After staying for a mostly sleepless first night in a youth hostel, (been there, done that), she discovers the MOAF, Mattress on a Floor, organization. We follow Jovanna as she hitchhikes and wheels her bag over bumpy roads physically and metaphorically in this funny, provocative, imperfect slice-of-life film. We trail along as she makes her way from town to town, reading from her strange and alluring book in various bookshops from Venice, Porto, Burgandy, Budapest, Santorini, and Romania. These readings grew on me as the narrative unfolded like a slightly askew origami swan.
Jovanna gets no help from her husband who works as a cook on an off-shore oil rig with crackling, unfeasible phone reception at best. His job is twenty-eight days on, twenty-eight days off, which suits their marriage perfectly as they jump each other after their time apart and then are happy for their independence.
Australian filmmaker Stuart McBratney took risks that worked beautifully for me, and will not work for others, as is clear by the wide range of ratings. There is charming scene where Jovanna and a new friend talk about their favorite words. I could hug the writer for this spot on conversation. I highly recommend Don't Read This On A Plane for people like me who love quirky, slow burn, indie films, aren't expecting the norm, and enjoy a light, offbeat, character rich, meandering travel romp.
Classic quotable line, "The coin was wrong. But I had to flip it to find out."
Beautiful scenery, nice little story
stefanmarianatalia28 September 2020
Very nicely shot travel movie with a touch of comedy.
You will get nostalgic about traveling in some of the most beautiful places in Europe.
At some point of the movie I really felt that I want the main character to succeed. Really had my fingers crossed for her.
What I missed was maybe more pictures of the places where the movie takes place but I understand that it did not want to steal the story and the character development with "travel channel' like pictures.
Over all after seeing this you start looking for the book and wonder if the book exists or not.
Whenever we will be able to travel again I plan to visit some of those bookstores.
Really recommend watching this movie with a glass of wine and nice company.
Well done guys.
Over all after seeing this you start looking for the book and wonder if the book exists or not.
Whenever we will be able to travel again I plan to visit some of those bookstores.
Really recommend watching this movie with a glass of wine and nice company.
Well done guys.
Beautiful and scenic
lili_flor6 March 2021
I started to watch this movie with not much hope as unfortunately there are a lot of bad movies out there in the universe but this was not one of the bad ones. I actually enjoyed the many beautiful scenes of the majestic places the protagonist takes us viewers on this book tour trip. The story becomes very engaging and if you love travel and reading then you will definitely enjoy this one. I actually loved the fact that there was many languages spoken and not many subtitles I think if you inmerse yourself in the context of wjat you're watching there is no need for subtitles and of course if you're cultural enough to not mind it. The story is well written, well explained and it did not leave any questions or holes in the story which I appreciated. I honestly searched if I could read the book because I loved the poetry of how the actress read the chapters and I do think it would be funny reading such a title on an actual plane.
**********
adamwest-7865128 September 2020
How I miss flying...
authenticnuna28 September 2020
Love this cinematic movie. Also made me feel as though I was traveling vicariously ( and I miss being in planes in a normal world like in this movie! )
A literate movie that has a mixture of witty elements and realistic moments for anyone who's aspired to keep going with their dreams despite a rough journey to make that come true. This movie clearly shows what's the real definition of success - you should watch it to interpret it yourself.
Interestingly, the daring director approaches an uncommon direction unlike other super-dramatic movies which could be challenging, nevertheless I admire that boldness as I love this type of movie; it reminds me of Richard Linklater movies, and 'Lost In Translation'.
We need more movies like this!
A literate movie that has a mixture of witty elements and realistic moments for anyone who's aspired to keep going with their dreams despite a rough journey to make that come true. This movie clearly shows what's the real definition of success - you should watch it to interpret it yourself.
Interestingly, the daring director approaches an uncommon direction unlike other super-dramatic movies which could be challenging, nevertheless I admire that boldness as I love this type of movie; it reminds me of Richard Linklater movies, and 'Lost In Translation'.
We need more movies like this!
Don't Read This during the Pandemic
maniuis7 August 2021
For starters, I must say that this film is fantastic. It's original, well-written, beautifully-shot and the acting is superb. The locations make you wanna get on the next flight to Europe and spend a season there traveling even if it's on foot. My only problem with the movie is its resolution. I'm not saying it's got a bad ending, rather what I'm trying to say is that it starts so good and it keeps on building that you just sort of feel disappointed at the end because you were expecting something else. Other than that, this is a must-see for any fan of good independent movies. A solid 9/10 for me!
Patchy
aapple20014 September 2021
I see what you did there
dazzylila26 October 2020
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
