French Girl


French Girl is a 2024 romantic comedy directed by James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright. It follows Gordon Kinski, a high school teacher from Brooklyn, who accompanies his girlfriend, chef Sophie Tremblay, to her hometown of Quebec City, where she is testing for a position at a Michelin 3-star restaurant run by super-chef Ruby Collins.

Plot

Gordon Kinski, an English teacher in Brooklyn, plans to propose to his girlfriend, Sophie Tremblay, a talented chef. Sophie is invited to Quebec City for a trial as head chef at a prestigious restaurant owned by her ex-girlfriend, Ruby Collins. Gordon joins Sophie on the trip, meeting her family, who are skeptical of him. Tensions rise as Gordon navigates cultural differences and Sophie’s past relationship with Ruby. After a series of comedic and heartfelt events, including a car accident and a family funeral, Gordon and Sophie reconcile, leading to a proposal accepted with her family’s blessing.

Cast

  • Zach Braff as Gordon Kinski
  • Evelyne Brochu as Sophie Tremblay
  • Vanessa Hudgens as Ruby Collins

    Production

Produced by Caramel Films, the film was shot in Quebec City and Montreal. Jean-François Lord served as the cinematographer, with music composed by Scott Price. The film’s production design was handled by Jean-André Carrière, and costumes were designed by Mariane Carter.

Release

French Girl premiered at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Critical response

The film received generally negative reviews.
Amy Nicholson wrote in the New York Times: "The filmmakers James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright push their script dangerously close to parody. But there are at least a dozen good zingers in here, particularly a three-part punchline from Ed Weeks as a snobbish food critic that kicks off with, “Have you ever seen an emaciated dolphin?” The trouble is, none of the performances are on the same wavelength: Hudgens is an outrageously hilarious monster; Brochu, an earnest heroine; and the increasingly unhinged Braff tries too hard to be empathetic. The more he wants us to sympathize with his hapless character, the more unforgivable Gordon’s actions feel."
In Variety, Lisa Kennedy wrote: "For every inventive or simply satisfying rom-com, there are dozens of clumsy, rote ones — French Girl falls among the latter."
Radheyan Simonpillai in The Globe and Mail wrote: "It just makes me crave a CanCon rom-com where divisive cultural gaps are explored in a way that doesn’t feel so detached from reality, and this country’s history."
On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 25% based on 24 reviews.

Awards

At the 2024 Mammoth Film Festival, French Girl was nominated for Best Genre Film Feature and Best Actor in a Feature, and won for "Achievement in Filmmaking – International".