Ma femme est une actrice

Today I had the privilege of viewing "My Wife is an Actress" at a preview for the San Francisco International Film Festival. I highly recommend the French comedy, which I understand is being released by Sony in May.

Without having realized the male lead Atal is also the Writer & Director, it's all the more amazing how one can juggle so many tasks effectively. Likely this is because it is undoubtedly based on his real life, including his real life wife playing his wife (the actress).

I know this type of setup has been done before, but the behind the scenes element of a movie set is very appealing. Atal lets us in on the filming and behind the scenes monotony of film making. Terence Stamp, as the English speaking actor of some note, is a true delight as usual.

In particular, the opening montage and a scene not for the modest should be taken note of for their own appeal.

I believe only the true cynic will be disappointed with the ending, which in today's movies (especially Hollywood films) are lacking in conclusions or resolutions.

This film begins with an interesting idea, and moves along well for a time, but for me it failed to maintain its pace and hold my interest fully. Perhaps something was lost in the translation. One minute Charlotte is saying that things have been bad for them, Yvan and herself, and the next she's overjoyed that she's pregnant. I'm not really clear on her relationship with either of the male characters. It did have some funny moments, but overall, I was somewhat disappointed.

Director/writer/co-star Yvan Attal is actually married to co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg, an effervescent and shimmering bilingual (French/English) beauty. And they both can act.

This is a comedy with a dark but non-violent edge. Gainsbourg plays "Charlotte," a star of both French and English films who graciously dispenses autographs left and right and during dinner at restaurants. Attal plays "Yvan," a doting but increasingly disturbed sportscaster who wears down dealing with his wife's intrusive fans and, more critically, his mounting fears that she is having it off with her aging but still presumably babe-magnet co-star in a London studio filming, "John" (Terence Stamp)

Yvan apparently is underutilized at work because he has the time to brood deeply and split to London whenever his antagonistic feelings of longing for and suspicion of his spouse surface (which they do increasingly).

Stamp gives a delightful portrayal of an old actor whose wife doesn't understand him but he's straddling the pursuit of Charlotte with the subtle reality that he's getting a bit old for that sort of thing. Stamp brings a bemused actor's attempts at dalliance to life.

There's an extraneous sub-plot in which Yvan's sister, seriously Jewish, belabors her non-Jewish husband to agree to be circumcised as they await the birth of their first child. This irrelevant and uninteresting side story at least stretches the film out to a barely respectable 93 minutes, justifying the $10 admission.

There are amusing scenes, the best being when Charlotte negotiates with her frenetic director for terms on which to appear naked in a scene. The resolution is both predictable and hilarious.

While few of us have mates or lovers who are in the public eye as Charlotte is, Yvan's increasing jealousy will strike a familiar chord with many viewers. In real life happy endings to episodes of mounting distrust, approaching paranoia, are few.

A good, enjoyable film. But now I'm wondering about the real life marriage of Yvan and Charlotte.

7/10.

..here's an actor that takes everyday life roles and consistently makes them enjoyable watching.. it seems like it should be so easy but time and again most get it wrong.. she can be whatever the part needs from her, and that is the mark of a truly great actor.. she has been doing it for a pretty long time and there is no doubt she will continue well on into the future.. she is just so special... the last several minutes of this film showcase her ability to create natural raw emotion.. it is such a wonder to behold... she's fortunate for her looks allow her to morph into whatever is required for the part, but it is below the surface that her true talent lies, and it is timeless..

"My Wife is an Actress" is all about a man who becomes jealous of his wife's handsome costar when she's required to do boudoir scenes. A so-so romantic comedy with precious little romance, this flick fails to focus on the central question which asks: How do you know if your wife is cheating de facto, in heart or mind, while she performs in bed with another man for the cameras? Instead, the film ruminates about the jealous husband and the tentative wife with occasional excursions into a whole side matter about circumcision which contributes nothing while managing to conjure up a few delightfully clever scenes. With good art, excellent camera work, and solid performances, this half English, half French flick makes for a nominal subtitled watch best saved for broadcast. (B-)