Chinese Puzzle
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Cédric Klapisch |
| Products | Romantic comedy-drama film |
| Parent | StudioCanal, Ce qui me meut, France 2 Cinéma, Panache Productions, La Cie Cinématographique, RTBF, Belgacom |
Chinese Puzzle () is a 2013 romantic comedy-drama crafted and directed by Cédric Klapisch. Serving as the concluding chapter of the "Spanish Apartment" trilogy, it follows the earlier films L'Auberge espagnole (2002) and Russian Dolls (2005).
The movie made its debut at the 2013 Angoulême Francophone Film Festival before opening in French cinemas on 4 December 2013 through StudioCanal, and later in Belgium on 11 December 2013 via Cinéart.
Produced by Bruno Levy, the cast includes notable actors such as Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, and Cécile de France. The production was a collaboration between several companies, including Ce qui me meut, StudioCanal, France 2 Cinéma, Panache Productions, La Cie Cinématographique, RTBF, and Belgacom. With a budget set at €17.3 million ($18.6 million), Chinese Puzzle achieved a worldwide box office gross near $17 million.
Filmed in both French and English, the crew featured Natasha Braier as cinematographer and Anne-Sophie Bion as editor. The musical score was composed by Loïk Dury alongside Christophe "Disco" Minck.
Plot
After a decade of marriage, Xavier Rousseau and Wendy decide to part ways. When Wendy relocates to New York City with their children, Tom and Mia, Xavier follows in order to remain close to them. Wendy shares a luxurious Central Park apartment with her affluent boyfriend John, while Xavier initially stays with his pregnant Belgian friend Isabelle and her partner Ju in Brooklyn before moving into Ju’s former residence in Chinatown. Struggling to complete his novel titled Chinese Puzzle, Xavier maintains Skype conversations with his Parisian editor, often overstating his writing progress.
Holding a tourist visa, Xavier is advised to marry for immigration purposes. After assisting a taxi driver, he consents to wed the driver's Chinese-American niece, Nancy. Despite this arrangement, immigration authorities remain doubtful about the authenticity of their marriage. Meanwhile, Xavier’s former partner Martine arrives from Paris with her children, and they briefly revive their past relationship.
Isabelle confesses to Ju that she has been unfaithful with their babysitter, who is also named Isabelle. When immigration agents plan an unexpected inspection of Xavier’s apartment, he aids both Isabelles in evading detection and persuades officials that he and Nancy cohabit.
As Martine prepares to leave for Paris, Xavier admits his feelings and asks her to stay; she consents. During a video call, his editor critiques the novel’s optimistic conclusion, but Xavier asserts that happiness requires no further clarification. The story concludes with Xavier, Martine, their children, Isabelle, Ju, and Nancy celebrating together at a Chinatown parade.
Reception
Critics generally responded positively to the film. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 79% approval rating based on 67 reviews with an average score of 6.5/10. The critical consensus describes Chinese Puzzle as "pleasantly easygoing and consistently funny," providing a fitting finale to Cédric Klapisch’s Trilogy of Xavier. On Metacritic, the film earned a score of 64 out of 100 from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
The movie received a nomination for Best Music Written for a Film at the 39th César Awards and secured second place for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival.
External links
- Official United States site hosted by Cohen Media Group ()