Publisher: CinemaSerf April 8, 2024
I enjoyed Catherine Deneuve's performance in this worm that turns comedy. She's "Suzanne" - the self-acknowledged "trophy wife" of local factory owner and serial cheater "Robert" (Fabrice Luchini). Their son "Laurent" (Jérémie Renier - reminded me a lot of Michael York) has little interest in what goes on and has a girlfriend in Paris, their daughter "Joëlle" (Judith Godrèche) has ambitions to succeed her father in business. It's that business that provides the fulcrum for the story as the workers go on strike and after a contretemps with communist local mayor "Babin" (Gérard Depardieu) "Robert" has a seizure. It's now that "Suzanne" has to step up and run the business. It was originally her father's, and it turns out that she isn't half bad at it. They are selling umbrellas to Indonesia in increasing numbers. When he returns to fitness, "Robert" wants his job back but finds he's been outmanoeuvred. His wife has it now and she's staying. What now ensues is a rather daft family comedy that looks like it's making the story up as it goes along. Sometimes the family scenarios are a bit contrived - clearly "Suzanne" has a bit of a past, too - but there is a fun chemistry between her and the underused but still quite effective Depardieu and the denouement delivers a fine example of the shrewd thinking and power dressing. It's a situation comedy, really, but still good.