Tango

Although not on the same level as other Leconte efforts, (Monsieur Hire, Le mari de la coiffeuse , La veuve de Saint-Pierre , Confidences trop intimes, Mon meilleur ami, L'homme du train, Ridicule, Le parfum d'Yvonne) it's still a fun noir comedy.

A light hearted not so black comedy taking place in french riviera during.summer that cloyds us with.sexual mickness and.acting liberty that finally serves as our own memory. Philip Noiret chic as usual and Thierry Lhermitte as the romantic buffoun form a peculiar duo of accidental drifters loosing their quest cause in an Odyssey of comic-sentimental twists. Patrice Leconte did a lot of this genre at the time, playing with chemiistry and improvisation, falling for a chip aesthetism in order to amuse. Nevertheless, the female characters counterbalance whatever seems to be off purpose and reduntant.

Patrice Leconte had a considerable worldwide arthouse hit with his erotic 1992 film "Le Mari De La Coiffeuse", but his follow-up the next year, "Tango", did not get the same kind of distribution/recognition. It's a deadpan, offbeat, and sometimes quite funny black comedy / road movie which, although apparently featherweight, actually has a lot to say about men's conflicted feelings about women (you can't live with them, you can't live without them). In addition to the top-notch three male leads, there is a too-brief appearance by the extraordinarily beautiful Judith Godrèche, and a funny cameo by Jean Rochefort. **1/2 out of 4.

A far better film than many reviews would suggest, Phillipe Noiret is effortlessly amusing and there is a lovely cameo by Jean Roquefort. However the leading role of the pilot, played by Richard Bohringer was rather blank and unengaged.

There were I thought shades of 'Les Valseuses' evident in the film, which wore a little thin in a what is a far more recent film. Also notable(as another reviewer has mentioned)were some references to the later works of Bunuel;which Carole Bouquets appearance reinforced.

Despite some hilarious and indeed rewarding parts the film remains uneven and many avenues which could have been explored, both to comic and dramatic effect have only been briefly engaged. Sadly I feel this film could have been a real masterpiece but there were too many threads contained in it; none of which were properly explored. The road movie aspect is a film in itself as is the extraordinary relationship between Roquefort and Bouquet, as well as the pilot Bohringers motives, too name but a few threads.

In all an amusing ride, but a slippery one nonetheless, leading to who knows where!

... and I'm sorry I did, because this is one of Leconte's weakest efforts. After Ridicule, The Hairdresser's Husband, Monsieur Hire, Intimate Strangers, you expect only the best from Leconte: here though, with a script that plays like it came out of the bottom drawer, you get only a very lame comedy that the three male leads walk through.

I will say that the cameo by Carole Bouquet is nicely set up and provides the only witty moments. She's daring where Lhermitte is timid, wish there had been a lot more like it. Miou-Miou, whose work I have admired in the past, is here stuck with a poor part as Lhermitte's wife. Michele Laroque is voluptuous and vacuous as Bohringer's wife.