DVD Review: CQ (B)

CQ (2001)
Directed by Roman Coppola
Starring Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Gerard Depardieu and Elodie Bouchez
MPAA: R
Grade: B

Review by Scott Standish

CQ is a charming tale of one man's search for honesty (within relationships and art), but most of all, it is a tale of one man's reverance for film. In CQ, Roman Coppola (son of Francis Ford Coppola) has directed a smart, sexy, funny tribute to 8 1/2, Barbarella and David Holtzman's Diary. Full of references to 8 1/2, this film is a must see for all Fellini fans and for those budding film directors out there. CQ is a film about film, but it also quite accessable to those that have not yet seen the films referenced. In other words, you will enjoy this movie whether you get all of the "in jokes" or not.

CQ tells the story of Paul Ballard, a young American film editor that has moved to Paris to work on a sci-fi film. The year is 1969. In his spare time, he is also directing a black and white documentary on his life. This documentary is his attempt to find the "truth" that can only be found in real life.

The documentary that Ballard is shooting is similar in style to Jim McBrides incredible David Holtzman's Diary. Like David Holtzman, Paul Ballard finds that in attempting to document his life, the film-making process causes disruptions of its own. Paul's obsession with all things cinematic simply becomes too much for his beautiful but shallow girlfriend Marlene (played by rising star Elodie Bouchez, recently of The Dreamlife of Angels).

With some great characters (look for Rushmore's Jason Schwartzman as director Felix De Marco), spectacular pop art design, and a charming script, CQ is a real treat. CQ is reverential to the aforementioned classic films, but does not attempt to place itself in the same league. It is a love poem to a brand of cinema that seems to have been forgotten in today's "Let's Make Our Movies From Old TV Series" mentality. Hollywood films today are also so afraid to wear their artistic influences on their sleeve that is refreshing to encounter a film like CQ. In this movie, the love of classic cinema is not only on the screen, but obviously in the director's heart.

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