Reel Advice : Oh, the misery

The 21st century has not been kind to the movie musical. Big screen adaptations of Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, Nine, Mamma Mia, The Producers and Rock of Ages were all dismal artistic failures. A few exceptions, such as Sweeney Todd, Chicago, Dreamgirls and Hedwig and the Angry Inch don't necessarily bode well for the genre.

The award-winning movie musical version of Les Misérables (Universal), one of the greatest and bleakest tragedies in literary history, has arrived on home video. A long-running success on Broadway (16 years in its original run), the stage musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's epic novel by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer was also a hit in London's West End.

Spanning a nearly 20 year tumultuous period in France, from 1815 to 1832, Les Miz parallels the intimate and complex relationship between paroled convict 24601 aka Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and his relentless pursuer Javert (an utterly out of his league Russell Crowe) with the ongoing revolutionary atmosphere stirred up by the disparity between the poor and the upper class. As a free man, Valjean reinvents himself as the proprietor of a successful factory, almost going unnoticed by Javert.

Fantine (Anne Hathaway in an Oscar-winning performance), a single mother who tries to keep her head down and do her job, becomes the object of attention not just to a perverse factory foreman but also to her envious co-workers. A factory floor confrontation leads to Fantine losing her job and turning to a life of desperation (she sells her hair, teeth and turns tricks) in order to send money to the innkeepers caring for her young daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen).

This is where Les Miz's meager comic relief arrives, in the guise of the innkeepers, Thénardier (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Madame Thénardier (Helena Bonham Carter in yet another costume drama). But it's all too brief. When Valjean comes to Fantine's rescue (much too late to be of any good), he vows to find Cosette and take her into his care.

As years pass, Javert's pursuit of Valjean doesn't relent, keeping Valjean and Cosette on the lam. Meanwhile, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) has grown into a young woman who has gained the interests of Marius (Eddie Redmayne), a revolutionary with a trust fund. Marius is so smitten that he is unaware that Eponine (Samantha Barks), the daughter of the Thénardiers is in love with him. More drama? You bet! Revolution and ruthlessness, young love and bloodshed, the miseries of Les Misérables combine for more than two and half hours of dreary dramatics.

The sung-through Les Miz boasts a memorable score, including showstoppers such as "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "At The End of the Day," "Bring Him Home," and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." In the right hands, such as those of Hathaway, Jackman and Redmayne, the songs' impact is effective. But Tom Hooper's direction is so clunky and awkward it makes you miss Rob Marshall's touch. All we can do is wait for the film version of "Miss Saigon" and hope for the best. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital copy/Ultraviolet version of Les Misérables includes four Blu-ray exclusive featurettes, as well as bonus features such as Hooper's commentary and a look at the Victor Hugo masterwork on which the film is based.

Little White Lies (MPI/Europa) is a French Big Chill right down to the sixties/Motown soundtrack. It begins with "total head case" Ludo (Jean Dujardin of The Artist), high on various substances, leaving a raucous night club at dawn on his scooter and getting slammed into by a truck. He is visited In the intensive care unit by his gang of close friends, including sometime girlfriend, bi Marie (Marion Cotillard), hot but dumb Antoine (Laurence Lafitte), massage therapist Vincent (Benoît Magimel), actor Eric (Gilles Lellouche), opera singer Lea (Louise Monot) and Juliette (Anne Marivin).

With their summer holiday approaching, the friends must decide whether to cancel or depart on their annual voyage to the home of the wealthy and wise Max (François Cluzet, sort of a French Dustin Hoffman). The consensus is to go, but shorten the length of their stay. As if Ludo's condition wasn't enough to set the tone for the trip, married Vincent's private admission to equally straight buddy Max that he finds himself inexplicably attracted to him casts an unexpected pall over the festivities.

Nevertheless there is an assortment of comedic situations to balance out the drama. The characters communicate with each other the way longtime friends do and it is often a pleasure to watch their interactions. While Little White Lies' gay angle is not a component of The Big Chill, it still maintains the spirit of homage. The ensemble of characters smoke pot, discuss their attractions and missed opportunities, pine over past successes and failures, and attempt to make the best of the situation while tragedy looms large.

The tension grows heavier over the course of the film, a counterpoint to the tranquil Cap Ferret setting. As the story progresses it leads to a pair of devastating confrontations and revelations and a full-on tearjerker of a conclusion. At more than 2 ½ hours in length, Little White Lies, in French with English subtitles, is a big commitment, but then so is friendship. Blu-ray special features include a "behind the scenes" featurette.

Before she lost her head for her country, Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) lost her head for Sidonie (Lea Seydoux), a lady-in-waiting who became the queen's favorite reader in Farewell, My Queen (Cohen Media/eOne). Spanning the first few tumultuous July 1789 days of the French Revolution, Farewell, My Queen opens with a shot illustrating the vast differences between the worlds outside of and within the walls of the Palace of Versailles. As bread becomes scarcer in Paris, the question becomes how safe it is for the king and queen and their staff of servants.

Devoted and discreet, but clumsy, Sidonie is regularly summoned to read to Marie-Antoinette. Their relationship, which alternates between formal and casual, intensifies as France is plagued with unrest. Flirty and flitty, Marie-Antoinette is also infatuated with the duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen), a fact of which Sidonie is well aware. The queen is not the only one with other amorous pursuits. Sidonie and gondolier, penniless actor and natural born liar René (Vladimir Consigny) have also been eyeing one another.

As the events of revolt continue to mount, including the storming of the Bastille and word that rebellion is about to burst out all over the kingdom, Sidonie is comforted by librarian Moreau (Michel Robin). Nevertheless, there is panic in the palace. A pamphlet, containing the names of almost 300 heads to be cut off for "necessary reform," has been circulating and even makes its way into the hands of the Queen. At her drama-queen best, Marie-Antoinette makes one final demand of Sidonie, in which the Queen's beloved reader (and secret embroiderer) will have the chance to make the ultimate sacrifice – herself.

In French with English subtitles, Farewell, My Queen is a royal costume drama, with emphasis on both the costumes and the drama. The movie belongs to Seydoux, who gives Sidonie a combination of wide-eyed innocence and the cold stare of experience. She is the primary reason to say hello to Farewell, My Queen. Blu-ray features include an interview with writer/director Benoit Jacquot, as well as on-set interviews.