# French Girl
**French Girl** is a 2024 Canadian romantic comedy directed and written by James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright, starring [Zach Braff](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-braff), Evelyne Brochu, and [Vanessa Hudgens](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-hudgens). The film centers on Gordon Kinski, a Brooklyn teacher who accompanies his girlfriend, the chef Sophie Tremblay, back to her native [Quebec City](https://www.edgepedia.org/quebec-city) as she vies for a Michelin 3-star establishment run by celebrity chef Ruby Collins, who is also Sophie's former lover.[1](https://caramelfilms.com/en/portfolio/french-girl/) • [2](https://entractfilms.com/en/films/french-girl-1) The film was shot in Quebec with a budget of approximately 10 to 15 million dollars and was released in Canada and the United States on March 15, 2024.[3](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Directors and writers | James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright[1](https://caramelfilms.com/en/portfolio/french-girl/) |
| Main cast | Zach Braff (Gordon Kinski), Evelyne Brochu (Sophie Tremblay), Vanessa Hudgens (Ruby Collins), Luc Picard (Alphonse Tremblay), William Fichtner (Peter Kinski)[4](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/french-girl) |
| Setting | Brooklyn and Quebec City, where Sophie tests for a Michelin 3-star restaurant run by her ex, Ruby Collins[2](https://entractfilms.com/en/films/french-girl-1) |
| Release | US premiere February 9, 2024, Santa Barbara International Film Festival; March 15, 2024 in Canada and US theaters (limited); streaming March 19, 2024[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/releaseinfo/) |
| Runtime and rating | 1h 50m per Rotten Tomatoes; 106 minutes per Paramount and the BBFC; rated R[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) • [4](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/french-girl) • [7](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/french-girl-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde4oty3) |
| Production | Caramel Films, with financing from Téléfilm Canada, SODEC, and tax credits in collaboration with Crave; budget approximately 10–15 M$[3](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/) |
| Reception | 24% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (25 reviews), 62% Popcornmeter; Metascore 40 on Metacritic; 5.5/10 on IMDb[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/french-girl/) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Gordon Kinski, an English teacher in Brooklyn, is in love with Sophie Tremblay, a chef from Quebec. His proposal plans are disrupted when Sophie receives a job offer in her hometown: a test for the Michelin 3-star restaurant of Ruby Collins, a celebrity chef with a hit television show who turns out to be Sophie's former lover. Gordon leaves Brooklyn for Quebec City, where he must also win over Sophie's hard-to-impress, French-speaking family, the Tremblays.[1](https://caramelfilms.com/en/portfolio/french-girl/) • [2](https://entractfilms.com/en/films/french-girl-1) • [4](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/french-girl)
The Tremblay family supplies much of the supporting cast: Luc Picard plays Alphonse Tremblay, Antoine Olivier Pilon plays Junior, Isabelle Vincent plays Ginette, Charlotte Aubin plays Juliette, and Muriel Dutil plays Mammie.[4](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/french-girl) Ed Weeks appears as Avi Donaldson, a snobbish food critic.[3](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl)
## Production and release
The film was produced by Valérie d'Auteuil and André Rouleau for Caramel Films, with financial participation from Téléfilm Canada and SODEC, tax credits, and collaboration with Crave.[3](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/) Jean-François Lord was the director of photography, Scott Price composed the original music, and Yvann Thibaudeau edited.[4](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/french-girl)
**Distribution.** Entract Films released the film in Quebec and Elevation Pictures in the United States; Rotten Tomatoes lists Paramount Global Content Distribution as distributor.[3](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) It opened on 65 screens in Quebec on March 15, 2024, the same day as a limited United States theatrical release, after premiering at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 9, 2024, its US premiere.[3](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/releaseinfo/) Streaming and digital release followed on March 19, 2024 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/releaseinfo/)
The film circulates under several titles: in the French-language version it is *Chez les beaux-parents*, AlloCiné lists it as *La Québécoise*, and international titles include *La joven francesa* (Argentina) and *A Garota Francesa* (Brazil).[3](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/) • [10](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D310174.html) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/releaseinfo/)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer stood at 24% from 25 reviews, while audiences gave it 62% on the Popcornmeter.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 40, labeled "Mixed or Average", from five critic reviews, and its user score was 2.6 out of 10 from eight ratings.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/french-girl/) IMDb users rated it 5.5 out of 10 from about 3,700 votes.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/ratings/)
Reviewers singled out different strengths and weaknesses. Lisa Kennedy of Variety placed it among "clumsy, rote" romantic comedies.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) Amy Nicholson of The New York Times called it a love-triangle farce set "on Planet Rom-com" while conceding it contains "at least a dozen good zingers", including a three-part punchline from [Ed Weeks](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-weeks).[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) Radheyan Simonpillai of The Globe and Mail wrote that its "crude and at times infantile slapstick humour is offset by livelier beats between the cast, whose cross-cultural banter is littered with flashes of genuine wit".[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/french-girl/) Todd Jorgenson of Cinemalogue judged that "the scenic Quebec backdrop deserves a better story".[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl)
At the Mammoth Film Festival in 2024 the film won Achievement in [Filmmaking](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmmaking) – International and was nominated for Best Genre Film Feature and Best Actor in a Feature for Zach Braff.[1](https://caramelfilms.com/en/portfolio/french-girl/)
## Content rating
The Motion Picture rating is R for some sexual references and language.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl) The British Board of Film Classification, which classified the film for VOD in February 2024, noted strong language, moderate sex references, comic references to female same-sex relationships, and moderate violence in depicted cage-fighting and 1980s action-film scenes.[7](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/french-girl-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde4oty3)
## References
1. [French Girl, Caramel Films](https://caramelfilms.com/en/portfolio/french-girl/)
2. [French Girl, Entract Films](https://entractfilms.com/en/films/french-girl-1)
3. [French Girl – Film de James A. Woods et Nicolas Wright, Films du Québec](https://www.filmsquebec.com/films/french-girl-james-woods-nicolas-wright/)
4. [French Girl, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/french-girl)
5. [French Girl (2024) – Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/releaseinfo/)
6. [French Girl, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_girl)
7. [French Girl, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/french-girl-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde4oty3)
8. [French Girl Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/french-girl/)
9. [French Girl (2024) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23319892/ratings/)
10. [La Québécoise – Film 2024, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm%3D310174.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2024 › Titles symbols to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license