GERARD DEPARDIEU ANDIE MacDOWELL ETHAN PHILLIPS
BEBE NEUWIRTH and GREGG EDELMAN
star in
A Film by Peter Weir
GREEN CARD
The story of two people who got married, met and then fell in love!
VHS - PAL - NEW and SEALED - NEVER PLAYED!! - VERY RARE!! - PG-rated - 102-minutes - Colour - Comedy, Drama, Romance - 1990-release - Small Sell-Through Plastic Box
In New York City, American Brontë Parrish and Frenchman Georges Fauré enter into a marriage of convenience, they not even actually meeting, introduced by their mutual friend Anton who arranged the union, until the day of the civil marriage ceremony.
Brontë and Georges expect never having to see each other again until they file for divorce and have each gotten what they want out of the marriage.
The reason for Georges wanting to be married: he, an aspiring composer who has been is the States for five months, has long overstayed his tourist visa, and wants to be a permanent resident to get his green card, marrying an American which will solve that issue.
The reason for Brontë wanting to get married: she, a horticulturist, needs to be married to be accepted as the new tenant for her dream apartment, which contains a greenhouse with a collection of exotic but currently neglected plants, plus an expansive patio where she can grow plants for her research.
Their plans are thrown for a loop when representatives from immigration services make a surprise visit to Brontë's new apartment - supposedly her and Georges' new apartment - in a clampdown on such marriages of convenience which constitute fraud.
As such, they are advised by Brontë's lawyer for Georges to move into the apartment until their final hearing with immigration services, during which time they have to get to know each other to convince immigration services that their marriage truly is one not based on convenience.
Spending time together may be difficult for both Georges but most specifically Brontë as they try to hide the fact of their marriage from her friends and family, including her parents with their own idiosyncrasies, and her current boyfriend Phil with who she works, which means keeping them away from the apartment, the building managers who know her only as Mrs. Fauré and not Miss Parrish.
But the biggest issue may be overcoming their fundamental differences as humans, they as roommates who may deep in their heart want to kill the other more than what they want out of the marriage.
They may find that the ultimate end prize is not what would happen after a successful meeting with the immigration representatives.
Director Peter Weir appears to have been 'Moonstruck' in his latest film, a fizzy romantic comedy about an inconvenient marriage of convenience between uptight, uptown Andie McDowell and rogue Frenchman Gerard Depardieu.
When the INS comes knocking at McDowell's door the couple suddenly has just 48 hours to get acquainted and invent a mutual history; predictably, they fall in genuine love as well.
It's an amusing, if somewhat one-sided courtship: Depardieu may be a slob, but he's a cultured, passionate slob, and because everyone except McDowell loves him on sight (and since there isn't any competition from her arrogant, politically correct, vegetarian boyfriend) it's only a matter of time before Depardieu charms her down from her ivory tower.
Romantic comedy obviously isn't Weir's forte; he supposedly wrote the script with Depardieu in mind, but it's too bad the same can't be said for McDowell's underdeveloped character: an urban fairy tale princess waiting for the frog (no pun intended) to kiss her.
The film nevertheless shows the same economy of style that highlights all of Weir's features, and it benefits from the winning presence of Depardieu, whose energy translates well into any language.