The Beat That My Heart Skipped

• BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, THE (DVD MOVIE)

This digital document is an article from National Catholic Reporter, published by Thomson Gale on August 26, 2005. The length of the article is 885 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Fragmentary lives: Bill Murray looks back on past lovers in 'Broken Flowers'; a Frenchman decides between music and crime in 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped'.(MOVIE/BOOKS)(Movie Review)
Author: Joseph Cunneen
Publication: National Catholic Reporter (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 26, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Vo! lume: 41 Issue: 37 Page: 18(1)

Article Type: Movie Review

Distributed by Thomson GaleStudio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 06/19/2007 Run time: 107 minutesThe Beat That My Heart Skipped could single-handedly give remakes a good name. Based on the 1978 American movie Fingers, The Beat... stars Romain Duris (L'Auberge Espagnole) as Tom, a hoodlum who works the shady side of real estate--evicting poor families from slums, cutting quick and dirty deals in the middle of the night--following in the footsteps of his sleazy father. But clearly Tom loathes both himself and everything he does. One night he accidentally runs into the man who managed Tom's mother, who was a pianist; the manager asks Tom himself to audition, as Tom once showed promise. All at once Tom hires a tutor and neglects his "duties," raising the ire of his cohorts but starting to make himself happy. This could be hokum a! bout the power of art, but Duris' performance is so visceral, ! so emoti onally vivid and engaging, that The Beat That My Heart Skipped becomes a remarkable parable about the danger of betraying yourself--all the more powerful because Tom's life doesn't simply get better, it grows dangerously more complicated. A superb movie with excellent performances throughout, making Duris' standout work all the more impressive. --Bret Fetzer