Le Divorce/Down with Love (2003) (2-Pack)

LE DIVORCE, based on the novel by Diane Johnson, is a contemporary Merchant/Ivory production that explores the fundamental differences between Americans and the French, especially in matters of the heart and manners. Isabel (Kate Hudson) is a brash, outspoken Californian who travels to Paris to help her pregnant expatriot sister Roxeanne (Naomi Watts). Once there she finds that Roxeanne's cheating husband (Melvil Poupaud) has abandoned her for his sexy mistress. Determined to help Roxeanne, Isabel settles in and quickly succumbs to the charms of Paris, including its men. She embarks on her own affair with Edgar (Thierry Lhermitte), the married brother of Suzanne de Persand (Leslie Caron), Roxeanne's bourgeois mother-in-law, and falls into the stereotypical life of a French mistress, receiving expensive Hermés gifts, and undergoing a chic cultural makeover. However, Suzanne quickly learns of the affair and is enraged, claiming that Americans don't know how to have proper, temporary affairs. Upon the arrival of Isabel and Roxeanne's typically American parents (Stockard Channing and Sam Waterson), the cultural divide becomes deeper as the two families battle it out over love, marriage, infidelity, fortune and ultimately: divorce.

DOWN WITH LOVE: art tribute to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies of the 1950s and 1960s, and part commentary on the changing sexual mores of a bygone era, DOWN WITH LOVE is a bright, funny, technicolor treat that sets out to prove that opposites attract. Set in early-60s New York, the film follows the exploits of hot new feminist author Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger), whose best-selling book "Down With Love" teaches women to focus on their careers, and never fall in love. This viewpoint is in direct contrast with Catch Block (Ewan McGregor), the simmering, smooth journalist and man-about-town. Catch and Barbara soon become arch enemies. But as the book sales soar, Catch hatches a devious plan, disguising himself in an attempt to seduce the divine Ms. Novak, thereby debunking the myths of her book, and simultaneously winning the journalistic scoop of the year. Director Peyton Reed has successfully emulated the comedies of yesteryear with this hammy, heady mix of endless double entendres, split-screen techniques, and a healthy dose of sexual politics. Zellweger and McGregor clearly delight in their retro roles, deliciously exaggerating their characters, with ample support provided by David Hyde Pierce and Sarah Paulson. DOWN WITH LOVE is a comedy that uses characters from the past to deliver a message that resonates in the present, and provides across-the-board appeal for audiences of all ages.