In case you couldn’t catch a bus to Sundance or finals studying (already) has you down, here are reviews for three of the Wisconsin Film Festival’s most interesting showings.

“Zouzou” (2014, director Blandine Lenoir)

Like so many American rom-coms, this charming French film doesn’t take itself too seriously. Its plot is very predictable, but the writing is so witty, funny and full of personality that the plot itself doesn’t matter too much.

“Zouzou” is mainly about sex and family, and this cross-generational family allows for many entertaining differences of opinion when it comes to sex. There’s the traditional grandmother, Solange (Jeanne Ferron, “Le Chef”), and her new boyfriend. Then there are her three daughters: Lucie (Laure Calamy, “All About Them”) who is sexually-liberated and actually just wants to settle down; Marie (Sarah Grappin, “Pitchipoï”) who is “happily” married; and Agathe (Florence Muller, “Les invisibles”) who is rediscovering her sexuality with an old flame after a divorce. They aren’t groundbreaking characters, but they’re funny and charming.

Finally, there’s Zouzou (Anouk Delbart), the granddaughter who just lost her virginity to the old flame’s son. Then she runs away, causing her family to freak out, and predictably returns by the end. No real drama. What’s actually interesting is how her actions have a snowball effect on her aunts, mother and grandmother.

The older women find out about “Zouzou’s” sexual escapades and disappearance, which sparks discussions about relationships, sex and the French sex education system — from the points of views of two generations and four very different women. These very frank discussions about sex are the highlight of an already delightful movie. For example, Lucie goes on a rant about sexual organs and how children should be taught words like penis and vagina from a very young age. All of this fits in nicely with “Zouzou’s” theme that sex isn’t some dirty secret, it’s just a natural part of life.

Also highly entertaining is “Zouzou’s” physical comedy. The characters find themselves in those very awkward situations that are often clichés in romantic comedies. Still, they get the laughs: A drunk, has-been actress crawls into bed with a horrified elderly couple when they are about to make love; the slutty aunt teaches a young neighborhood girl how to pee standing up; Agathe and her old flame rediscover their interest in each other in the same barn that their children have snuck off to for privacy and hilarity ensues when they discover each other.

The end result is an amusing, light film that celebrates family and accepts sexuality as something that’s not dirty or taboo. (So French!)

“The Astrologer” (1975, director Craig Denney)

This movie was made possible with the perfect combination of big ego, little talent and terrible production value. Director Craig Denney also starred in and wrote this “masterpiece” that one audience member described as “a bad Indiana Jones.” Denney, an astrologer, created a movie based on himself in which the main character, Craig Alexander, also an astrologer, makes a movie about his own life. In the film, it makes more than $100 million, by the way. And his television shows do just as well! Apparently astrology is such a glamorous profession that everyone with a television set or movie ticket becomes enamored with Alexander and his future-reading abilities.

Craig Alexander’s rise from a circus palm reader to a rich, pompous man is ridiculous. He begins making his fortune by smuggling diamonds in Kenya and gets sent to a Kenyan prison — twice. Of course, he escapes both times. And in the end, through a series of events that make no logical sense, he goes home with $2 million. From there, making money through his television series and movie franchise is so easy, that as an audience member you wonder how impressionable this fictional 1970s audience really was.

It all ends in Alexander’s demise. His financial advisor quits, screaming, “You’re not an astrologer, you’re an asshole!,” which is either the best or the worst insult of movie history. He begins losing money, predicting futures wrong and by the end, he has hit rock bottom, as a Shakespeare quote from “Hamlet” appears on the screen. This ending — and the movie as a whole — was a train wreck, but a train wreck you watch and laugh at pretty consistently.

Considering every aspect of this mess, it’s a relief that this was the only film Denney ever created.

https://vimeo.com/110431621

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” (2015, dir. Alfonso Gomez Rejon)

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” is another film that was predictable in a lot of ways, but more than that, charming and funny. This tearjerker won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

The premise itself had potential to be overly sentimental and eye-roll-inducing. Greg (Thomas Mann, “The Stanford Prison Experiment”) is an awkward high school student who doesn’t like himself very much and who thinks high school is the worst. He’s into making bad home movies with his friend Earl (RJ Cyler). His mom forces him to hang out with Rachel (Olivia Cooke, “Ouija”), who has just been diagnosed with cancer.

Of course, he decides to make a movie for Rachel once they actually become friends. All of this could have could have easily landed in the “The Fault in our Stars” category — that is, a movie that is awful, but because a character is very sick, anyone who criticizes the movie sounds like an asshole.

But the execution of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” is beautiful, partly because of the strong acting and likable characters. Greg isn’t annoying in his self-pity; he has a very goofy sense of humor, and he doesn’t constantly whine about his lack of self-worth. Rachel is very sick, and treatment is exhausting her. But somehow the movie doesn’t seem to be capitalizing on her sickness to get sympathy. She’s just another likable character who has good days, who has bad days and who gets rightfully angry or frustrated sometimes.

Earl doesn’t have as much screen time, but he’s just as complex as Rachel and Greg. He calls Greg out on his self pity and the mistakes he (Greg) make with Rachel. He’s young and goofy, but he’s not around just to crack jokes. He’s also smart, blunt and a good friend. Other great characters of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” are Greg’s parents played wonderfully by Connie Britton and Nick Offerman.

The beautiful cinematography was another highlight of this film. Every scene was beautifully shot. Clips from Earl and Greg’s homemade movies often included great visuals, like animations or Claymation. Even if this movie didn’t have the clever dialogue or the likable characters, it would have been nice to look at. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” succeeded in being both heartwarming and heartbreaking.