Overview
A tangled web of love and friendship unfolds in the heart of Paris.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- intimate
- charming
- date night
- lazy afternoon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an utterly charming and carefully observed romantic comedy about the everyday behavior of young French professionals.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Blanche, Léa, Fabien, Alexandre, and Adrienne form a chain of friendships, relationships, and unrequited desire that drives the plot.
The film examines the everyday conduct and romantic confusion of young professionals in the Paris suburbs.
The characters live and socialize around the Paris outskirts, whose clean, functional environment reflects their contemporary professional lives.
Blanche loves Alexandre while the surrounding relationships create a chain of incompatible desires and emotional assumptions.
Films like Boyfriends and Girlfriends, and why
My Night at Maud's
shared french new wave tradition, conversational romantic entanglements, and observational attention to young professionals
The Green Ray
shared Éric Rohmer authorship, romantic indecision, moral self-scrutiny, and lightly comic dialogue
Pauline at the Beach
shared romantic comedy structure, emotionally intricate relationships, and naturalistic social observation
A Good Marriage
shared witty relationship plotting, french new wave sensibility, and shifting romantic alliances
Movie Details
- Director
- Éric Rohmer
- Release Date
- 1987-08-26
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (146)
Cast
- Emmanuelle Chaulet
- Sophie Renoir
- François-Eric Gendron
- Éric Viellard
- Anne-Laure Meury
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Boyfriends and Girlfriends about?
- Éric Rohmer turns a tangle of friendships, crushes, and mismatched couples into a buoyant portrait of romantic uncertainty among young professionals.
- What is Boyfriends and Girlfriends like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Boyfriends and Girlfriends as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Boyfriends and Girlfriends violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Boyfriends and Girlfriends.
- What did critics think of Boyfriends and Girlfriends?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an utterly charming and carefully observed romantic comedy about the everyday behavior of young French professionals.
- Which films are like Boyfriends and Girlfriends?
- Films with a similar feel include My Night at Maud's, The Green Ray, Pauline at the Beach, and A Good Marriage.
- How long is Boyfriends and Girlfriends?
- Boyfriends and Girlfriends runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Boyfriends and Girlfriends?
- In United States, Boyfriends and Girlfriends streams on Kino Film Collection.
