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"Now it is time to decide whether you will become my mistress."

Le Divorce is a movie with a message, and that message is that the French suck. The lovely little character-driven soap opera is set entirely in France and takes every possible potshot at its citizenry, short of actually using the word "surrender." Normally I would leave it at that, but since French-bashing has become such a despicably popular American activity, an explanation is probably merited: not every French character is a villain, but an overwhelming majority of them are, and their villainy is directly connected to their culture. In other words, the French suck.

Don't be upset. The plot is contrived and rather negligible anyway. What sets the movie, a rare non-period effort from director James Ivory, apart is the way it creates casually realistic characters and a compelling family dynamic. The fact that we care about these people, and believe in their existence, gives the lightweight story unexpected gravity. And a great supporting cast takes the pressure off leading lady Kate Hudson, clearly uncomfortable in her first time at the center of something that's not a frothy romantic comedy.

That's not to say that Le Divorce isn't frothy. After all, basically the entire background of the Walker family is given in the film's ridiculously expository first line, spoken to a French customs agent by Isabel (Hudson), who has arrived in Paris to see her pregnant and married-to-a-Frenchman sister Roxy (Naomi Watts). As Isabel marvels at the Parisian skyline through her taxicab window, Roxy's husband Jean-Henri (Romain Duris) is leaving her and her toddler daughter without an immediate explanation.

Turns out Jean-Henri has fallen hard for a Russian woman married to an American entertainment lawyer (Matthew Modine). The husband isn't too happy about this, and begins to harass Jean-Henri's family, including, for some reason, Roxy and Isabel. Meanwhile, Isabel decides to become the mistress of Jean-Henri's rich politician uncle; perhaps not the wisest decision as the divorce proceedings begin to heat up, and a dispute develops over a Walker family heirloom painting that may or may not be very valuable.

Naomi Watts, the gorgeous Australian actress so mysteriously beguiling in Mulholland Drive and so unconvincingly hysterical in The Ring, absolutely commands the screen here, stealing every scene she can and hankering for more. Amazing how despite her almost otherworldly beauty she can still come off as a living human being, and a poet at that. For some reason, the poetry reading scene sticks with me; something about her facial expression just seems to encapsulate the movie.

But perhaps the best example of why Le Divorce works despite its xenophobia and other difficulties comes in the form of Roxy and Isabel's parents. They are not so much movie characters as real people who have somehow wandered onto the set. They do not have quirks, or one-liners, or bizarre obsessions; instead, they're a married couple who care about their children, wish them well and want the best for them. Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing embody these everyman roles with spectacular verisimilitude.

It's also good to see Matthew Modine in his first real role since God knows when. How did he become a C-list actor? Does no one remember Full Metal Jacket? He does a terrific job in what is a thankless role, despite its importance to the climax and resolution of the film. And hey, even Modine blows Hudson out of the water. (I have nothing against Kate Hudson, by the way. I think she is cute, adorable, and occasionally attractive. That doesn't change the fact that she's still not a leading lady.)

I've been writing a lot about the performances, I know. Le Divorce isn't the kind of movie you see to have a transporting experience, to be entranced by the story and transported to another world. No. But I recommend you check it out because it's neat as a movie: lavishly acted, well-written, and consistently engaging. It keeps you watching.