The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

98% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings

Lyon, present day. When widowed marine biologist Abel (Garrel) learns that his impulsive mum Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg) is once again re-marrying -- this time to an inmate she met whilst teaching theatre in prison -- he's much more than uncomfortable. Doubting that convicted burglar Michel (Roschdy Zem) is capable of turning over a new leaf, Abel's protective streak kicks in, and so with the help of his best friend Clémence (a sensational Noémie Merlant), he begins tailing his new stepfather's movements. Their amateur sleuthing is quickly uncovered by Michel and triggers an unlikely -- and bold -- business proposition for them both....

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Critics Consensus

Giving heavy material an appealingly light touch, The Innocent is fast-paced fun that's anchored in palpably honest emotion.

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The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Wendy Ide Observer (UK) The film (which Garrel directs as well as stars in) gathers a madcap momentum, in the way that really bad life choices are apt to do. Rated: 4/5 Aug 27, 2023 Full Review The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Kevin Maher Times (UK) ... A frothy heist movie with an unexpectedly tender heart. Rated: 4/5 Aug 25, 2023 Full Review The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Cath Clarke Guardian It’s a broad, enjoyable, lighthearted movie with a fair few not-insignificant plot holes, but a genuinely surprising storyline that keeps you guessing to the end. Rated: 3/5 Aug 22, 2023 Full Review The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (4) David Bax Battleship Pretension The Innocent is one of the more moving heist flicks you’re ever likely to see. Jun 20, 2024 Full Review The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Manuela Lazic WeLoveCinema Garrel walks a fine line between the tragic thriller and the hopeful family comedy, bridging the two with a dry, typically French sense of humour. Rated: 4/5 Jun 13, 2024 Full Review The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Pedro Gallego Espinof The movie's evolution is surprisingly explosive considering how intimate it seems. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/5 Nov 15, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve C Thanks for all the caviar. The penguins love 'em Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/18/23 Full Review Neil J Hmmmm I was expecting some kind of taught thriller but it's average at best. There's a distinct lack of tension throughout and it lags. Needs more twists to get more stars. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/30/23 Full Review Alan W I was mostly confused watching Louis Garrel's film, inspired by his mother who, like his film character Abel's mother, is also a drama teacher in a prison who ends up marrying one of the inmates. Assuming the rest stems from his imagination instead of being autobiographical, the Cesar-winning screenplay which Garrel co-wrote is a hotch-potch of half-baked ideas that didn't cohere for me. Beginning as a farcical comedy, it dips in and out of romance and ends up a heist movie, which is not a problem per se and this genre blending can work if done right. Unfortunately here it just feels jarring. So when Garrel's Abel becomes suspicious of Roschdy Zem's Michel's intentions after he marries his mother, Anouk Grinberg's Sylvie, hilarity is supposed to ensue when Abel begins following Michel around Lyon, badly. However, I just find the central characters neurotic and irritating, especially Abel. The only saving grace is Noemie Merlant's Clemence, Abel's dead wife's best friend who still lingers around him, whose charming presence brightens up the screen whenever she's on but the will-they-won't-they is so obvious from the beginning, I won't even bother talking around it here as it's no spoiler to speak of. The film manages momentarily to spark to life as it reaches its third act heist, and that cafe scene in which Abel declares his true feelings almost by accident is the one decent scene in the whole film that I enjoy, but then it's all downhill from there with a disjointed ending which lacks credibility and seems artificially constructed only to set up a book-ending scene that makes the film symmetrical. By this point frankly, I don't really care and I can only chalk this mess down to the mystifying French sense of humour which must have bypass me entirely. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/24/23 Full Review Gordon G Drama, humour, romance, it's all here.Interesting characters with back stories, who interact well and develop as the plot unfolds. Engaging, entertaining, made with a bit of that French artistry. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/30/23 Full Review Roger M Tasteful French old style heist caper. Garrel the son playing more human than ever. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/19/23 Full Review Petros T "L'innocent" is not too bad a watch, however it's pretty unremarkable on the whole. The story and characters just feel really inessential, and the direction is nothing to write home about. The acting is fine but seems a little gimmicky (the troubled and suspicious protagonist, the excitable yet also disappointed mum, the cool and mysterious stepdad, the wacky friend). The saving grace is the adequately engaging action, even though I can't say I was rooting for any of these people to be honest. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Louis Garrel Director Louis Garrel Abel Roschdy Zem Michel Anouk Grinberg Sylvie Noémie Merlant Clémence Jean-Claude Pautot Jean-Paul
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Synopsis Lyon, present day. When widowed marine biologist Abel (Garrel) learns that his impulsive mum Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg) is once again re-marrying -- this time to an inmate she met whilst teaching theatre in prison -- he's much more than uncomfortable. Doubting that convicted burglar Michel (Roschdy Zem) is capable of turning over a new leaf, Abel's protective streak kicks in, and so with the help of his best friend Clémence (a sensational Noémie Merlant), he begins tailing his new stepfather's movements. Their amateur sleuthing is quickly uncovered by Michel and triggers an unlikely -- and bold -- business proposition for them both....

Director
Louis Garrel

Producer
Anne-Dominique Toussaint

Screenwriter
Louis Garrel, Tanguy Viel, Louis Garrel, Tanguy Viel, Naïla Guiguet

Distributor
Janus Films

Production Co
Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Les Films des Tournelles, CNC, Canal+, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Arte, arte France Cinéma, Ciné+

Genre
Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance

Original Language
French (France)

Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 17, 2023, Limited

Box Office (Gross USA)
$29.5K

Runtime
1h 40m
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The Innocent (2022) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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