I didn't like it

I agree as well. I found the concept and the themes of the movie quite interesting, but I didn't feel the emotions that were needed for me to really connect with the movie. I enjoyed the scenes from their childhood most, and the characters were alright, but not enough to carry the weak and somewhat convoluted plot, I felt.

I don't think the movie was supposed to be complex...at least not in sense of plot. It seems that in Hollywood movies, there are lots of plot twists and situations that are not in the control of the characters. This movie however, lacked both. But that is what is refreshing about it. The movie is simple enough--a children's game that continues into adulthood. Rather than plot twists, this movie relies purely on the characters' emotions. In a world where they are forced to grow up, the characters hang on to the only thing (or what they believe is the only thing) that holds them together.

Technically, neither of the characters "had" to do anything. They have their own free will, but they are so caught up in this game that it is all they know. As children, this game was the only way either of them could cope with their lives For Sophie, the game reinforced her position as an outsider in what she felt was a positive manner. It would give her a chance to legitimately bully the kids who harassed her, and the game serves as her backbone. For Julien, it helps him cope with his mother's illness and death. He becomes destructive and sociopathic, and the game serves as his release. They become so reliant on the game that it becomes a part of them when they grow up. It is the only way they have ever known to interact with each other but their relationship is no longer innocent. They love and hurt each other, using the game as an excuse, They don't know how to express their emotions to each other in any other way than using the game.

As for "funny," the film had a lot of quirky lines, but I don't think it was trying to be funny. This is too much emotion and darkness involved for it to be such. These isn't anything in mainstream Hollywood that can even be compared to this. Of course, they say that this is the "#1 comedy from France," so I guess I'm completely off base. At any rate, I found the movie highly enjoyable and I think it is one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

as someone who adores the movie, i'm probably posting in the wrong thread... but just to share a bit on why i like it so much and hopefully allow more people to "see the point", so to speak...

firstly, it shouldn't be too difficult to realise that this is not any typical "romance". using mainstream standards, it won't be unusual for some to completely detect no trace of romance between the leads beyond their masterfully crafted chemistry. THAT is the point! it's supposed to be a relationship based on a very different kind of love - i'd say Ludus, but the term may have other connotations. the characters started off with a bit of repression in their childhood (they were outcast) and discovered le jeux (the Game) as a welcome distraction and source of joy. this shared nexus of emotion, experience, and meaning came to be the centre of their relationship, pulling them closer to each other and yet refusing them direct access into each other's deepest feelings.

secondly, even though it is a relationship based on a childish (or perhaps child-like) obsession with taunts and thrills, the emotional aspect still does mirror mainstream understanding quite a bit (at least imho). in most relationships, the involved persons will end up hurting each other at some point or another. think about it... if you are not willing to bear the hurts inflicted upon you by someone, then you will end that relationship sooner rather than later. in a somewhat twisted way (and yet logical too!), hurting a loved one can prove to oneself how much that person loves you in return. i believe that is why the characters display moments of angst and a sense of "betrayed-ness" when the dares hurt them physically or when they feel taken advantage of. it is less illogical or meaningless than you might imagine!

thirdly, i imagine this has been talked to death elsewhere already, but the whole less-than-real mood and feel of most of the film is deliberate - a plot device, if you will. the purpose is to lull the audience into a children's fantasy - to get you to see things as the characters did. and there were the "hyperreal" segments as well - those scenes implied to be in the present, when Julien is married with children and Sophie is a trophy wife - where the adult way of seeing things harshly interrupt their fantasy world. the entire set-up could be seen as a sort of social commentary expressing the tension in a hyperreal world which has abandoned its childhood fantasies and unassuming indulgences. alternatively, it can be seen as a chain anchoring these fictional characters to us - the audience - back in reality, thus allowing those who have had similar experiences some space to ponder.

hope these points helped to clarify some of the more interpretive content of the movie! stories which are situated outside one's usual cultural milieu would demand the viewer to adopt (temporarily) the author's perspective in order for the film to be enjoyable (and for the ending to make sense)... just like love, it often only makes sense to those who want to be in it!

peace.