It pales in comparison to Julian Schnabel’s thematically linked, but far more bold and imaginative, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
It’s glossy but saccharine, hammering home its coming-to-terms-with-life message as Laurent steers the story into contrived tragic waters.
Mélanie Laurent's sweet but schmaltzy debut establishes her credentials as a capable director, and she does good work with old Inglourious Basterd Menochet, too. A word of warning: those with an aversion to the quirk of US indie filmmaking will feel its influence here.
The film is harmless, whimsical, a little long-winded.
The Adopted is not sugary exactly, but it has a self-consciousness and soft-focus whimsy that dilutes the flavour.
Mixed messages forge a forgettable outcome.
There are few things more soul-destroying than the movie which insists on how much you should love its characters.
It's a wispy, tasteful, mildly touching, very French affair.
The inconsistency of tone makes it tough to care.
Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee from Monday March 5, 2012, until Thursday March 8, 2012. More info: www.dca.org.uk