La Madame

The comedy of manners genre uses satire to expose the rituals and affectations that pass for social politeness. Driven by witty dialogue and characterisation, it laughs at the best and worst in human behaviour. A good example is the comedy drama Madame (2017) that blends themes of race and class in a charming Cinderella tale of self-discovery.

The plot line is deceptively straightforward. Pretentious American couple Anne (Toni Collette) and Bob (Harvey Keitel) have rented an elegant manor in trendy Paris to impress their friends and clients. On the eve of a 'spare-no-expense' formal dinner a guest cancels, leaving the dinner table with an odd number of guests. Anne instructs her shy servant Maria (Rossy de Palma) to make up the number, pretend to be a Spanish lady friend, and say very little. After a few drinks, Maria becomes outgoing and is noticed by British art broker David (Michael Smiley) who is convinced she is a mysterious aristocrat. To Anne's horror they begin seeing each other despite desperate attempts to stop them.

Woven into this simple plot is a portrait of a lowly maid hoping to be loved for who she is, not what she does. Her nemesis is Anne, the wicked witch who wants to keep her in place. While Keitel and Smiley competently fill their supporting roles, the emotional energy comes entirely from the two female stars. Collette portrays scandalised with consummate bitchery as she engineers what she calls a 'slow-motion car crash' and de Palma does a heart-warming rendition of the maid who dares to hope. Brilliantly filmed in Parisian locations, its narrative twists and turns play on themes of class ritual and racial stereotype. The script is at times laboured with trite references to knowing one's place, but it is de Palma who keeps the story alive. She uses those big innocent eyes to convey how it feels to suddenly believe that someone really loves you, all while being oblivious to the masquerade into which she has been thrust. De Palma's unconventional aesthetics become a device to highlight the deeper values of kind-hearted character and the superficiality of skin-deep beauty.

This slow-burning comedy is a study of inflated egos and natural humility. Its minimal plot allows the focus to stay on the battle between primal feminine drives, one stopping at nothing to preserve the social order, the other swept up in a Cinderella dream. Not all fairy tales have conclusive endings and nor does this one. But it has enough laughter and warm-hearted moments to be worth watching despite its BYO ending.

I started it because I love almost everything that Toni Colette does, and Harvey Keitel is also usually worth seeing. But in this movie, Rossy de Palma steals it (not to imply that Colette disappoints). Only an '8' because it's overly brilliant in any single regard (cinematography or dialogue or directing or whatever). But it is definitely more than adequate in every aspect. de Palma is fascinating to watch, and you really - unlike in so many other movies -do want to find out how it ends.

It was a fine comedy with a strong beginning but a rather weakish second half. Toni Collette was great and and the top of her game with another great characters under her belt and she once again proved her abilities as a true chameleon actress. Also she was quite sexy here, that just on a side note. It was good to see Harvey Keitel in another major role and he obviously had a lot of fun with his character. A very vital performance. The true highlight of the film is the performance of Rossy de Palma. What a riot! She totally owns every scene she is in with her great charmes comedic timing and depth. A very good supporting performance. The rest of the cast is solid enough to give the film some drive. The screenplay was not great, as I said story and dialogue worked at the beginning but it seems they ran out of ideas quite quick and did not offer a great conclusion and neither a very interesting development. Fine score and good cinematography make it worthwhile.

This is totally a Rossy de palma's Movie. She takes the cake with her awesome performance be it the comic timing or the seriousness of her character. Toni and Harvey fo good jobs in their roles. But sadly the ending was too disappointing. I mean it could have been better. Overall worth a watch though.

This movie could have been something truly amazing but it just seems to limp along without much focus at any of the main plot points. The only saving grace was the dead pan wit and charm of Rossy de Palma.