Hey, y'all. Capone in Chicago here.

When I reviewed Hal Hartley's Fay Grim recently, I went on and on about my long-time love for Parker Posey, who surprised me once again with this more gentle and subtle performance in Broken English the feature film debut from Zoe Cassavetes, daughter of John and sister of Nick. Unlike either of those filmmakers, Zoe takes a quieter, less chaotic approach to her first work about Nora (Posey) a guest services coordinator (primarily for VIPs) at an upscale Manhattan hotel who has thrown herself into her job because her personal life in non-existent. Her best friend is Audrey (Drea De Matteo from "The Sopranos"), who seems to have an ideal marriage, which of course in films like this means she's unfulfilled and restless.

Early in the film, Nora meets a famous actor Nick Gable (Justin Theroux), and the two seem to connect on a very deep level (at least that's what he tells her before they sleep together). She soon finds out he has a long-term girlfriend and simply used her as a place filler while he was in New York shooting a movie. To avoid losing her mind, she decides to accept a part invitation at the home of a co-worker, but is set to leave after one drink. On her way out, she meets Julien (Melvin Poupaud, recently seen in Time To Leave and Le Divorce), a hard-to-read, somewhat pushy Frenchman, who seems immediately taken by Nora. Still stinging from her last romantic encounter, Nora does everything in her power to seem unappealing to Julien, but his carefree attitude ensures that he will not give up. After a proper date the next day, she finds herself falling for him as she shows him her New York, and he, in turn, is dazzled by her. It is only after a couple of truly blissful days together that Julien announces that he's going back to Paris the next day and wants Nora to come with him. She's not that spontaneous, and as soon as he's gone, she regrets her safe decision.

Soon, Nora and Audrey are off to Paris to have fun and look for Julien. Shortly after arriving Nora realizes she's lost Julien's number and has no way of finding him. As the trip nears its conclusion, Nora decides to stay an extra week to keep looking. It's a desperate and slightly pathetic move, and Nora knows it, but this quest seems important to establishing a pattern in her life that she needs to see through. Cassavetes' script is funny, sweet, and honest, and Posey's portrayal of Nora is note perfect as a woman who has built a career out of pleasing others without taking care of her own needs in the process. She's a self-aware character who knows her faults and attempts to break out of her familiar patterns to become more adventurous and romantic.

Despite its focus on women and the presence of a hunky Frenchman, Broken English doesn't come across like a sappy Nora Ephron comedy. There are quite a few laughs here, but the film is most definitely a drama about a woman on the verge of drowning in her own self-pity. Thanks in large part to inspiration provided by her own mother (played beautifully by Cassavetes' mom, Gena Rowlands), Nora refuses to take her stagnant life lying down, and that's a nice change in films that cover this type of ground. I've always felt the ultimate compliment you can give a first-time filmmaker simply saying, "I can't wait to see what they do next," and that's exactly how I feel about Broken English. Zoe Cassavetes shows a real talent for this material, and I eagerly await her second film.

Capone