I don't know if anyone outside Southern California sees the spot where a family is being shown around a French hotel while the double of the father complains about phone service.

Well, anyway, the woman in the background showing them around is supposed to be French. Only she says, at one point, "Vous avez voir l'appartement" - that is, "You have see [sic] apartment?"

"Voir", you see, is what you call an infinitive, not a past participle (like, say, "vu").

What I can't figure out is if this massacre of my ancestral language is some sick joke or - far more likely I'm afraid - neither the copywriter nor the actress knew any actual French (I once played a French doctor on a soap opera and all the signs for the "French" hospital were absolutely nonsensical.)

It's not like there are no French actors (with working papers) or French-speaking actors in L. A. Or like this was a low-budget production.

Any speakers of other languages noticing these linguistic insults?

I took french in high school, but I was kicked out of class because I said to the teacher "voulez vous couche avec moi ce soir?". She was at least in her late 60s. It was a joke, but she didn't think it was very funny. So I had to wind up taking Spanish.
Gerard Depardieu made a good name for himself in the states!
Jean Reno is incredible.

There's a lot of great french actors here in the state, but you're right in saying they don't get much recognition. But ya gotta love Sacsha Baron Cohen in "talledega nights".

I saw a Campbells soup commercial many years ago with alleged French-Canadians.

It was totaly phoney, I AM French-Canadian.

I auditioned a few days ago for a French-Canadian spot here in NYC.

I have my own mini booth at home with a good mic and can audition via .MP3

If you're going to start criticizing Hollywood's numerous DESECRATIONS of other languages, you'll have to go a long, long way back.

I remember a WWII movie where the "Japanese" villains were actually speaking KOREAN!!

If you need something more current to spur your memory, try "Terminator II," when Arnold Schwarzenegger says: "NO PROBLEMO" in that low, Austrian grumble... it made my ears ache. The correct usage is, "NO PROBLEMA."

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