A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This movie is not a Marvel production and not good for everyone with medium IQ too! specially not for guys who are looking for stupid soft romantic tales or anything sentimental or even porno stuff! Elle is about the complexion of the human soul, one of the best in Paul Verhoeven's masterpiece list. Watch again with open mind and use your brain before bad judging about that brilliant movie.

Michèle Leblanc (Isabelle Huppert) is a well-off Parisian CEO of a video-game company. Her past includes a childhood trauma and her life is troubled in various ways among family, friends, and people at work. Things get worse when she is brutally raped and has a very unusual response to the situation.In the film's favour, it is very well directed by Paul Verhoeven who creates a dark and mysterious mood. He is well aided by the haunting musical score by Anne Dudley. Huppert is also marvelous in the lead role. This is to be expected as her presence and performances always raise her films to a higher level.The trouble is in the role itself as well as the script. Yet again, Huppert plays a twisted sadomasochist like she did in "The Piano Teacher". While she can be praised for taking on dark roles, it would be nice for the sake of contrast to see her in a cheesy rom-com in which her greatest dilemma would be deciding what to buy as a Christmas gift for a loved one.Despite potential sympathy for all that has happened to her, Michèle, like almost everyone else in the movie, is unlikeable. David Birke's screenplay has too many oddities and leaves too many loose ends by the conclusion. It also has a very contorted view of the traumatic experience of rape - something that leaves a poor taste by the end.

Although it begins with a deep, unsettling scene, I felt Elle is oddly naturally paced, especially keeping in mind the motley of contexts the lead character Michèle finds herself in. The runtime of the film is 2 hours plus, which should give you a clue this isn't per se a revenge film but a journey, a discovery into self.Michèle is stoic. Some may even feel she is astoundingly dignified in her approach to handling the colorful men in her life. These are men that are vulgarly selfish and infinitely wanting: they don't stop with their harvesting at all.I liked the movie except I'm not sure whether I'd recommend watching it. The reason is that I find MichèIe to be mostly one dimensional (except towards the end), mechanical, and therefore unrealistic. Her reactions are too contained and her expressions frigid.If you don't have anything else on your list or have time to spare, I'd suggest only then you go ahead and watch the movie.

Elle is an unpredictable, messed up thriller with an very uneasy theme throughout. For me the biggest highlights were Isabelle Huppert's performance and the unpredictable, uncompromising depictions of sexuality. The issues i've had with this film though were mostly the dialogue and the unnecessary and absurd subplots such as the Michelle's father backstory and the whole Vincent's girlfriend thing. To start with the first one, it really takes away from the tension and the seriousness of the plot to have surreal cheap gags(?) like him killing himself just to not to have to talk to his own daughter. I mean he literally killed about a dozen people and lived with it for another 30 years or so but its his daughter visiting him that gets him to be desperate enough to hang himself?come on movie. The vincent thing is really predictable and clichéd , the scene when he first sees his son is straight out of a My Name Is Earl episode, and his girlfriend is your standart stereotype of annoying, unfair, demanding and cheating girlfriend. At the end of the day i find it very hard to believe that any of the characters in the film(except michelle) could exist in the real world as they seem very cartoonish and one note. All in all was a decent film even with some serious flaws. 7/10