Les soeurs Soleil

Yes, good fun and unfairly neglected. The three principals over-act enthusiastically because that is what their characters are like.

Clémentine Célarié as Gloria Soleil is the over-the-top rock diva modelling herself on Tina Turner, on and off stage showing all of her legs and most of her bosom under a ridiculous wig. Thierry Lhermitte as Brice d'Hachicourt plays the pompous upper-class twit, always formally dressed and fatally ignorant of such important areas of life as women and money. As his wife Bénédicte, Marie-Anne Chazel is his mousy feminine equivalent, knowing nothing of men because she has only known one and nothing of money because she has always had lots of it. Her hairstyles and clothes are a joy, pale imitations of Princess Diana.

Of many hilarious situations, one I enjoyed was when Bénédicte runs away with Gloria (definite echoes of Thelma and Louise), who is on tour in the south. After an open-air gig, the band and crew are put up in parked caravans and Bénédicte is billeted with the female drummer, who turns out to be a transvestite. To her unspeakable horror, for the first time in her life she sees an erect male organ: though viewers do not, I hasten to add, because it is not that sort of film!

This film had a big budget, but was a major flop in France. The reviews were so bad and the actors were overacting... In addition the movie poster was as ugly as the trailer, so nobody gave it a try. And yet this comedy turned out to be a big surprise to me. It really is funny from the beginning to its ending.The dialogues are well written, witty and always amusing. it's got a supermarket scene to die for, during which a snobbish and practicing woman is faced with the making of a saucy music video... The actors seem to have had great fun making the film, and they easily communicate their humour. Really pity it was such a flop.