Green Card: Uplifting Romantic Comedy Despite Complicated Subject

Movie review by Andrea Karen Hammer

Green Card (1990) is an uplifting romantic comedy despite the complex subject of immigration.

Imbuing his role as Georges with multifaceted qualities, Gerard Depardieu adds depth to this romantic and enchanting story. As an actor with a phenomenal range revealed in films such as My Afternoons With Margueritte, his stellar talents allow holding and illuminating opposing forces simultaneously. In Green Card, he capitalizes on this capacity as a former inmate for “nothing serious” who develops genuine feelings for Bronte (Andie MacDowell) in an arranged marriage.

Fashion Model With Budding Career as a Talented Actress

MacDowell, with roots as a fashion model turned actress, similarly displays the ability to play lower octaves with strength and conviction. Instead of simply relying on strategic glances drawn from her famous ad work, the actress reflects a full range of complicated emotions across her face (also demonstrated in another favorite Artsphoria film: Four Weddings and a Funeral).

In Green Card, viewers need time to grasp her motivation for agreeing to this arranged marriage. However, stunning views of a greenhouse conservatory room attached to her new apartment fully clarify those reasons. Her appearance before a tough building approval group, including the perfectly cast Jessie Keosian as her nosey elderly neighbor Mrs. Bird, finally reveals the marriage requirement to claim her personal oasis.

Hilarious and Touching Scenes in Romance That Grows and Flourishes

Scenes with this devout gardener tending her magnificent indoor retreat and convincing neighbors of her legitimate “marriage” are some of the best ones in this film. A sequence with Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu taking a series of photographs to document their “courtship” and “wedding” for officials is particularly hilarious and touching.

Another with the actor attempting to play the piano produces uncontrollable laughter to a degree that other recent films have not even approached. Even though some may need to stretch their imagination to envision the casting of this couple, Green Card shows that love can grow and flourish in the most unconventional circumstance.

Questions for Artsphoria’s Online Film Forum

What did you think about the casting of these actors? Do you think that the combination worked, and why or why not? What are your thoughts about the larger issues raised and the conclusion of this movie?

Please contribute your perspective to this movie review. Then, spread the word about Artsphoria’s Online Film Forum!

 

 

 

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