Mood Indigo has not fared well with critics on the day of its release in the US. The French language film has been described as "whimsical" but the focus on visual effects is somewhat overwhelming. 

Mood Indigo
Mood Indigo stars Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris.

Watch The Movie Trailer For Mood Indigo. 

Michael Gondry, who was responsible for the likes of the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, has directed the fantasy romance based on a 1947 novel by Boris Vian. Whilst his works range from the sublime to the ridiculous with feature films also including comedy drama Be Kind Rewind and action The Green Hornet, they often receive mixed reviews and this is certainly the case for Mood Indigo.

The French language film stars Audrey Tautou (Amelie) and Romain Duris (Populaire) as a couple who meet in a fantasy version of Paris. Duris plays Colin, a famous and wealthy inventor, who is set up with Chloé (Tatou). The couple fall in love whilst flying cars whizz across the Parisian Sky and pianos simultaneously play and make cocktails. The pair eventually marry but Chloé becomes terribly ill after a lily begins to grow inside her and Colin must find a way to keep his wife alive. The two are supported by Gad Elmaleh and Aïssa Maïga, who play Chick and Alise, mutual friends of Chloé and Colin. 

Mood Indigo
The film has been described as "whimsical".

Without a doubt, it's necessary to suspend disbelief in even considering Mood Indigo but critics have been less than impressed with the Gondry's "whimsical" (A.V. Club) approach. The complaints largely revolve around the abundance of visual effects. Manohla Dargis (New York Times) compared watching the film to being "locked in a very small room with an exceptionally bright, pathologically self-absorbed child who will not shut up or calm down."

In a similar vein, Keith Staskiewicz (Entertainment Weekly) wrote the film is amusing at first but the novelty of the visual effects and fantasy soon wears off. He wrote "After a while, all that frivolity starts to collapse under its own weight like a fallen soufflé." However, other critics have praised Gondry for maintaining his style and vision. Elizabeth Weitzman (NY Daily News) wrote "Thank goodness for director Michael [Gandry], whose vision is so brazenly, enduringly unique."

Mood Indigo is released in the US today (18th July) and on 1st August in the UK. 

Read More: Mood Indigo: Audrey Tautou & Romain Duris Fall In Love In Fantastical Paris [Trailer & Pictures].

Mood Indigo
Mood Indigo is released in the US today and at the beginning of August in the UK.