Only Girls

Only Girls is an incredibly slight story about two very different women – a judge named Carole (Sandrine Kiberlain) and a shoplifter named Tina (Sylvie Testud) – that become unlikely friends. There’s not much of a story here, just a series of comedic vignettes, so one’s ability to enjoy the film primarily depends on how fond one is of these two characters. The film is purportedly a comedy, though very few of the jokes actually work; too much of the humor is derived from silliness, including Tina’s obsession with shoes (a running gag that goes nowhere). And the simplicity of the screenplay (penned by director Pierre Jolivet and Simon Michaël) inevitably winds up hurting the story; ie it becomes clear almost immediately that the Tina is going to teach Carole how to lighten up and have fun, while Carole is going to teach Tina how to obey the rules. Still, the performances are effective and the movie’s mercifully short. And in all fairness, Only Girls will probably play a whole lot better among female audience members (this clearly isn’t one of those so-called “chick flicks” with appeal for both men and women).

** out of ****