Ist das wirklich Liebe, Liebling?

A delightful comedy that has scarcely aged, with razor-sharp dialogue by Michel Audiard and fine photography by Henri Decaë. While characterisation is nicely complex for the two principals, Miou-Miou as a journalist hoping to expose a scandal and Gérard Lanvin as a resourceful crook she unwittingly enlists, part of the joy of the film is the effort put into the minor parts.

Michel Galabru as a corruptible bailiff who, when asked if there are any really sweet mothers-in-law, replies: "Perhaps ... Those who travel a lot .... A great distance .... A few lady explorers?" Or the director's mother Renée Saint-Cyr as a rich widow, who refuses all co-operation until she eventually succumbs to the lure of a plate of pasta in basil sauce. Dominique Lavenant as the owner of a restaurant whose regulars come above all for her crêpes. And, as in the best French films, much conversation involves and much action takes place around food and drink. A gangster complains when a delicate French red is served with Italian food and insists that something more robust is found.

Overall improbable, as comedy plots should be, it is an enjoyable journey through a France of the time, populated by colorful individuals.