Les petits mouchoirs 2010

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Although these friends have some fun horsing around in the water, their conflicts and rivalries make for a tense, joyless holiday that is anything but relaxing. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: A movie built from strung-together set pieces. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: A sprawling, initially engaging French comedy-drama that became a hit in France but ultimately underwhelms. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: Little White Lies' fundamental problem is that it's hard to empathize with characters who have so little empathy themselves. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: There's a fly-on-the-wall quality to it that adds a voyeuristic zing to the proceedings and gives this French take on "The Big Chill" its particular warmth. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The overall tone of "Little White Lies" feels off, or maybe it just doesn't translate to American audiences. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The trouble with Guillaume Canet's French gloss on The Big Chill is that it has no underlying chill. Read more

Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: Canet has difficulty maintaining the film's finely calibrated tragic-comedic balance in the heavily maudlin third act, much to its detriment. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: With an ensemble led by Marion Cotillard and Francois Cluzet, the French hit has personality to burn, and squanders most of it. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Pretty easy to take, and not just because of the lovely photography of the French coast, all oyster farms and pink wine and long dinners under the trees. Because there are also these wonderful performers. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Little White Lies simply tries too hard. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Can tout a gorgeous setting, a group of appealing actors and a mastery of the art of wine-fueled conversation. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: A film this long should end with the audience feeling it knows the characters like old friends. Instead it ends with an outside observer delivering an insight that isn't really an insight. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Little White Lies wants to capture something momentous and meaningful in these people's lives. But ultimately it's hard to care. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: At times, it's amusing. At times, it's tragic. At times, it's romantic. But, like many vacations, it's way, way too long. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie is 154 minutes long. It probably doesn't need to be that long, but there's an advantage to sinking into this milieu, growing familiar with the characters and learning their stories. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: It's just that, when it's over, 2 1/2 hours seems too big an investment for just pretty good. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The script is banal, but the acting company and the locations are easy on the eyes. Read more

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Little White Lies" is a bit too long, but has plenty of Gallic charm. Read more

Jon Frosch, The Atlantic: More than two hours and thirty minutes of bland images and platitude-heavy breakthroughs. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: In what's meant to be a French take on The Big Chill -- comedy meets pathos as friends gather at a country house in the wake of a tragedy -- writer-director Guillaume Canet has wrought a meandering script that exercises everything except restraint. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: It's slightly glib, very glossy and over-extended at 154 minutes. But there's an overriding sense that Canet knows this territory, and gets the best out of an excellent cast. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Canet's melodrama has earned the snarky sobriquet "the Gallic Big Chill" on the festival circuit, but that's giving this mush way too much credit. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: At 154 minutes, Little White Lies goes on 30 minutes longer than necessary and, with the exception of Cotillard, is heavily weighted toward the men's stories. Read more

Jordan Mintzer, Variety: With a meandering 2 1/2-hour edit that could easily lose a reel or two, the fun gives way to several longueurs midway through. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: The din of this crew's constant caviling and passive-aggressive insulting is further intensified by the puzzling, nonstop boomer soundtrack Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: As the movie wears on ... the melodrama amps up to a final scene capable of draining any remaining pathos. Read more