Tuesday night was a soiree de filles. The filles involved being Julie, Sophie, Jeanne and me. You may think this means we sat around straightening our hair, eating chocolate bon bons, and talking about sex, but you would be wrong. We curled our hair.
The purpose of this particular soiree de filles was to see the Bridget Jones sequel (or as the French say, bree-JET), but first we went round to Julie and Olivier’s apartment for drinks. Naturally, Olivier was exiled because it was a soiree de filles, and it would certainly not be a soiree de filles if a mec was present, right?
I came from the East, bearing a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau. The same bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau that I WANTED to sample weeks ago at the Catherinettes party, when the rest of the world was sampling this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau, but my friends had been all “The Beaujolais Nouveau is just NOT UP TO PAR this year,” so it sat on the liquor table untouched and unloved.
Until Tuesday night, that is, when I arrive chez Julie to find the three girls sitting around a table staring at ONE EMPTY WINE BOTTLE. In situations such as this--when it is cold outside and buying more wine would require putting on one's shoes and actually MOVING--one does not scoff at Beaujolais Nouveau.
Coquette’s Wine Verdict: It tasted fruity. From that last statement, you may be thinking I know nothing about wine, when the truth is: I PRETEND to know nothing about wine until you fork over the bucks and THEN I bust out words like “insouciant” and “jejune” and phrases like “I found it bold, yet unpretentious.” I am a wine hustler. Please don’t blow my cover.
The most scintillating part of the evening was perhaps when I learned the French argot for a very naughty word. Okay, so I already knew the word, but had totally missed a jump in the conversation, causing me to believe Sophie had said the name of a metro stop I live by, causing me to say, “you mean blankity-blank metro?” when she had in fact said a very naughty word. Everyone had a good laugh at that one.
Coquette’s Film Verdict: I wasn’t expecting much, but I must say it was more of a fiasco then I POSSIBLY COULD HAVE IMAGINED. (Although I would have paid the entry fee just for the scene where Hugh Grant and Colin Firth fight like the Wonderbread-white boys they are. Brilliant.)
Really though, I ask you, how could the film have SUCKETH SO for us? US the Target Audience, who is not only the Target Audience, but also the Target Audience buzzed from all that wine and hair curling? I mean, there was a moment, en route to the cinema, where Julie actually stumbled and then said, “Geez, I don’t know if I’m even going to be able to order my ticket!” To which I replied in all seriousness, “DON’T PANIC, I can order for all of us.” And then we GIGGLED. We GIGGLED on the metro, in PUBLIC. I only admit this embarrassing fact as proof--cold, hard, evidence--that the film should have been EFFING HYSTERICAL.
The final thing you need to know is that, shockingly, my French girlfriends all decided to buy snacks before the movie--therein contradicting everything I previously believed about French eating habits and social mores. Prompting me to ask, is it possible Beaujolais Nouveau gives you the munchies?
Mm, I remember some French movie theatres sold kettle corn. (I think they called it sweet popcorn? I dont' remember, it's sadly been so long.) So much better than the butter-laden nastiness here. Yum, kettle corn.
Did they dub the movie or provide subtitles? I love it when they translate English movie titles into French. "Bring It On" becomes "America Girls". "Bounce" becomes "Un amour infini". It was always good for laughs.
Posted by: jacinthe | 16 December 2004 at 01:38 PM
In Paris the films are usually shown in original language, but I saw Love Actually in Le Mans last year dubbed...Wimbleton became "La Plus Belle Victoire"
Posted by: Coquette | 16 December 2004 at 02:56 PM
Ca alors--- this post brought back so much to me--- young wild women-- buzzed on beaujolais and giggling .. heeee--- yeah, I read the scathing reviews of BJ part deux and knew I had to avoid it . . . I guess they brought in a new director whose angle was to make BJ look bad as opposed to look sweet when SHE thought she looked bad . . big difference.
Posted by: bluepoppy | 16 December 2004 at 03:12 PM
How did you like Bree-jet Jones? I was disappointed but if I had some drinks before hadn I probably would have enjoyed it more... tho the fight scene with Colin Firth (I *heart* him) and Hugh Grant was pretty great!
Posted by: Aimee | 16 December 2004 at 03:17 PM
OK. Don't answer my questions because you did up there! I am trying to work and read blogs at the same time... see the result. Eek. Just found your blog through Jason Stone's and I am hooked already... :)
Posted by: aimee | 16 December 2004 at 03:23 PM
Too bad about BJ II, the first one was so cute. Regarding the Beaujolais Nouveau... it's amazing how popular the day of release is here because the French seem to disdain the stuff. I bet the quality of the BN would be the same as a $12 bottle of wine back in the US -- generally ok, but not great.
Posted by: Auntie M | 16 December 2004 at 05:24 PM
SOOOOOoooo funny!!
I'm definitely waiting for the DVD before watching DJ2... Maybe I'll have some beaujolais too and see if the result is the same!
Posted by: Magabe | 16 December 2004 at 11:51 PM
oh my god, you made me laugh out loud! You know the only people who EVER order "la coca" at restaurants with me, are the french ones. I, an american living in paris, find often that everything I had believed or been told about the french, is often just not the case.
Posted by: Alisa | 17 December 2004 at 12:18 PM
salut miss!!
nous avons lu l article sur la soiree cine entre filles, pour ma part (jane) quand t es pas la j e comprend pas grand chose, mais quelque chose me dit que ça avait l air tres drole!!
soiree inoubliable ;-)) julie
j avais pas le droit d etre là mais ça avait l air sympa olive
j espere que t es bien arrivee on te fais de gros bisous
julie, olive, jane
Posted by: olive,julie, jane | 20 December 2004 at 05:01 PM
Auntie M,
I know, the BN is really nothing to write home about (even though I guess I kind of did here). It's a textbook marketing example, though!
Magabe,
A French girl in the US with a blog? So happy to have discovered your site!
Alisa,
The "coca" thing is so unexpected isn't it? Like the success of "MacDo" :)
Olive, Julie, Jane,
Ca me fait plaisir! Merci, et gros bisous!
Posted by: Coquette | 22 December 2004 at 05:15 AM
Bonjour! :) I was blog hopping till I chanced upon your blog. I must say this is a pretty cool blog. *smiles* Take care. Have a nice day!
Posted by: InsouciantCoquette | 24 January 2006 at 05:31 AM
Coquette’s Wine Verdict is one of my favorite wine.
Posted by: jackee | 05 August 2007 at 07:53 AM
what's Insouciant Coquette?
Posted by: az | 22 November 2007 at 08:17 AM