This film seemed to be made for me. Written and directed by Agnès Jaoui (The Taste of Others) and starring Jean-Pierre Bacri – recently seen in Looking for Hortense – one of my favourite actors. Bacri also co-wrote the screenplay with his partner.
Initially it seemed to be a rare misstep by the pair. A muddled and confusing opening introducing a plethora of characters, meant I struggled to work out who was who. Coupled with stifling heat in the cinema, I was finding it very hard to engage with a story that seemed to consist of scenes showing women shouting at their current or ex-husbands.
Anyway, I stuck with it, and as the story unfolded, it became clearer and much more enjoyable. A young woman, Laura (Agathe Bonitzer) is wondering when she will find true love. She meets a musician, Sandro (Arthur Dupont) and they quickly become engaged. However, Laura then becomes infatuated with music critic Maxime (Benjamin Biolay). This conventional love triangle at the heart of the story turned out to be the least interesting part of it. The characters are rather dull and clichéd and the performances merely adequate.
There are a number of much more interesting subplots involving Laura and Sandro’s families. Those include Sandro’s Dad, Pierre (Bacri) who becomes obsessed with dying on a specific date as predicted by a fortune teller 40 years previously. The best scenes in the film are of him teaching Laura’s Aunt Marianne (Jaoui) to drive. They are an absolute joy. Meanwhile, Laura’s father is embroiled in a potential scandal at work, an intriguing plot line that is not properly explored. It is a shame also that there wasn’t a bigger part for the character Clemence, an orchestra member in love with Sandro. Nina Meurisse’s performance is at least as good as Bacri’s and Jaoui’s.
Despite the ups and downs of the characters, it becomes clear that they will live happily ever after, as this is an attempt at a modern day fairy tale, with references to classic tales spread throughout it. Laura resembling little red riding hood in her red coat in the woods; a wicked mother with an apple; and even a shady character called Mr Wolff!
So, far from the makers’ best work but worth putting up with the opening half an hour.
Rating 6 out of 10