Renoir - B-

Rated R, 111 minutes
In French with English subtitles

"Renoir" is a lush but vapid romantic tale of two artists and their muse

Michael Bouquet as Pierre-Auguste Renoir

If you're familiar with the works of Impressionist painter Pierre Auguste-Renoir, you know what a vibrancy the celebrated artist had in capturing much of the feminine sensuality. The lovely but thin new French drama "Renoir," based on a portion of the artist's life, lacks that same sense of vibrancy, though it does capture some beautiful, lush romantic images. It tells the true story of the painter Renoir (Michael Bouquet) who meets the ravishing lady who would be his final model, Andrée Heuschling (Christa Theret), not to mention his daughter-in-law, who falls in love with his son Jean (Vincent Rottiers) who himself would become a famous filmmaker. Heuschling would be not only a muse for them both but a link between two great artists who happened to be father and son. From director Gilles Bourdos, the slow-moving, character-driven drama has little insight into two great artists, but it does provide a sensuous (and little-known) portrait of their muse. The well-made, glossy "Renoir" is handsomely photographed and elegantly scored, which adds a lovely texture to the film, which isn't revelatory but much like the elder Renoir's paintings, gives us something lovely to gaze upon. If you're a fan of either Renoir, this alluring film would come as something you should see, but you'll leave with nothing more than when you entered the film. Worth a look even if it doesn't do much.

Wes's Grade: B-