It's not just that the story of "The Novices" often feels aimless and meandering; it's also that you can tell exactly how it's going to finish if you've seen the film's trailer, or even just the DVD cover! The film relies heavily on the charm(s) of its two leading ladies (all the other characters are unimportant), Brigitte Bardot and Annie Girardot. Bardot is cleverly cast against type as a "pure" and somewhat naive young woman (who remains pure throughout!), while Girardot plays the more experienced, cynical, but also good-hearted woman who takes her under her wings. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this good-looking piece of cotton candy is that Girardot has nothing to be jealous of from the famous sex symbol Bardot when it comes down to a body contest. **1/2 out of 4.
Review of Les novices
