In hopes of improving his Spanish, Xavier (Romain Duris,
“Le Divorce”), a young French student, enrolls in an
exchange program to spend a year studying in Barcelona, Spain.
After a homeless beginning, he is instantly attracted to the five
tenants of “L’Auberge Espagnole” (the Spanish
Apartment), each from a different country: Spain, Germany, England,
Italy and Denmark. Xavier finds a home with the diverse cast of
characters in this intoxicating comedy that examines friendship,
love and the messes of life.

While the new DVD cover may highlight Audrey Tautou
(“Amelie”) as headliner of this French film, her
minimal part as Xavier’s girlfriend (Martine) is actually
less impressive than the apartment ensemble. Whether speaking in
English, Spanish or their native tongues, the lively crew is
loveable and amusing.

The disc offers fullscreen and widescreen presentation and the
option of French or Spanish language with French, Spanish or
English subtitles but contains no special features. A look at the
production of this film in the beautiful city of Barcelona and
background information on the true identities of the diverse cast
would have nicely complimented “L’Auberge
Espagnole.”

Film: 4 stars.

Picture/Sound: 4 stars.

Features: No stars