A series of vignettes about youth culture in current day urban France are presented. These vignettes are tied together by a central thread, the story of twenty-one year old Paul (Jean-Pierre Léaud),who witnesses or overhears many of these happenings.

I am not sure that I am a fan of Godard. Some of his films I like quite a bit, but it seems he has the problem of many prolific directors: the more he makes, the greatest chances of making a bad film. Not to say this is a bad one, but I would by no means say it is among his best. And he has a weird love of atonal music, which I do not think helps matters.

There is certainly a cultural relevance here. The film is said to tackle the generation that has Coca-Cola and Marx, which I suppose would be France in the 1960s (and to a lesser extent the United States). The greatest revolutionary decade of the 1900s, but also a time when the youth were living comfortably.

From director Jean-Luc Godard (À bout de soufflé (Breathless),Alphaville, Pierrot le Fou),this was a French/Swedish language film featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I didn't know what to expect, but I was going to watch regardless. Basically young idealist and noted author Paul (Jean-Pierre Léaud) has recently disbanded from the French Army and national service, and he is attempting, and returning to life as a civilian he is chasing Madeleine Zimmer (Chantal Goya),who is building a career as a pop singer. They do get together, despite having different musical tastes and political opinions, they also have pleasurable experiences with her roommates Catherine (Catherine-Isabelle Duport) and Elisabeth Choquet (Marlène Jobert),but while she is climbing the ladder to fame, he is becoming isolated from his friends. Also starring Michel Debord as Robert Packard and a cameo by Brigitte Bardot, seen in a café rehearsing some lines. I will be honest and say that I did not pay the fullest attention to what was going on, but I don't think it really matters, as it has been described as an indulgent mess, with meaningless subplots and non-linear stuff, but the acting and direction is fine I suppose, an alright romantic drama. Worth watching!

This is about bored kids in Paris around 1965. France has been dealing with Vietnam since it was called French Indo-China. The U.S. has dived in head first. A couple of young men fancy themselves reactionaries. Their actions are silly and innocuous but they feel they should be doing something. What they actually do is talk a lot. They ask endless questions. Paul, played by Jean-Pierre Leaude, the little boy in "The 400 Blows" is a naive brat who wants to be hot stuff but can't pull it off. He imagines himself like Belmondo but can't even master the cigarette trick that the great one used. The women are really in charge here, although they haven't figured things out that well either. One pretty young thing is a gorgeous, though quite wholesome, pop music star. This role doesn't seem to get her much credibility with her friends, particularly with Paul. She is a celebrity but no one can figure out why. They go to movies, hang around a cafe, but can't feel good in their own skins. Jean Luc Godard lets his characters live, but his point is less tactile.