Un amour de banquier

My review was written in March 1991 after watching the movie on Media Home Entertainment video cassette.

Martin Sheen gets to play broad comedy in the tv-aimed French feature "The Maid", a typical yet pleasant gender switcheroo tale.

Like its predecessor film "May Wine" from the same producers, "Maid" is a light and frothy trip to Paris where Sheen plays an unorthodox merger specialist hired to be co-equal to executive Jacqueline Bisset at her bank. In the week before he has to report for work in the City of Light, Sheen rather unconvincingly inveigles his way into beautiful Bisset's apartment on the pretext of becoming her new domestic servant.

Job calls for a sort of governess/maid to take care of the pad for working woman Bisset and tend to her cute but uncontrollable young daughter Victoria Shalet. Gimmick is that Sheen hires a whole squad of real domestics to do all the work for him.

Though he has a local caterer do the key preparations, Sheen has to buckle down and serve food when Bisset throws a dinner party. He handles the inevitable slapstick with aplomb when the banker (Jean-Pierre Cassel) who hired him shows up and he must avoid his gaze to maintain his cover.

The stars handle this souffle of a feature with ease and young Shalet, with British accent is an attractive tyke. Not much is made of the 180-degree turnabout in casting of Sheen from his "Wall Street" role. Climax is a rather uninspired riff on "Working Girl".

Tech credits are okay for this genre, which resembles tv production more than theatrical filmmaking.

It was breezy to say the least, but for the most part it was lightly entertaining. I'm pretty sure that this movie was made, when Sheen was at the bottom of his career, yet he always seems to deliver, even when the material is weak.

I thought this movie was set in the 1980's (like 1984) but was surprised to see how new it was (aka: It felt dated). Much of the situation was contrived, but it was a good type of contrivance I can live with.

I like this simply because of the chemistry between Martin and Jacqueline. I love films with storyline like this. Its quite predictable nonetheless it suits my romantic taste. Martin sheen is a ladies man. I love the fact that there's a brat involve and to win the girl of his dream he must win the kid's trust first. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Jacqueline is gorgeous and elegant as ever BTW. The bratty kid did a job well done at first. She might be a female kid version of the problem kid. The scene that fascinated me was the part where Anthony (Sheen) have to do the maid or for this matter a butlers job with his boss as one of the guest. Its so funny I was giggling the whole scene. I love the piano song as well.

Of its time. And best kept in the past. Think of every creepy boundary crossing relationship tactics that women were supposed to endure, professional sexism and toxic parenting and you'll find it in this film. The Hollywood movie types in 1991 possibly gave themselves a pat on the back trying to represent how women are treated in business and management. But they only replace it with a bunch of other toxic stuff. Straight out of the male manipulation playbook! I only suffered through it to write this review. That and Jacqueline Bisset is just lush to watch on the screen, no matter how bad the film is.

Anthony Wayne, an executive in a financial institution, receives an offer he can't refuse: he is hired by a prestigious French company and must relocate to Paris, not too shabby a deal, for anyone! His apartment in New York is a mess, something his cleaning lady reminds him of, when she comes to clean it.

In Paris, Anthony is in awe of all the beautiful and elegant women he meets anywhere. He is at a loss, when he discovers the gorgeous Nicole. As he follows her, Anthony discovers she has a big problem: she can't control her bratty daughter Marie, who terrorizes all the maids Nicole employs. He has the brilliant idea to have himself hired as the new maid, in order to be next to Nicole, but what he doesn't realize, is that he has gotten more than what he bargained for.

This romantic comedy, which we never knew existed, is a pleasant way to spend ninety minutes. One realizes what will happen from beginning to end, but we are lured by the fine work of the two principals of the film. Director Ian Toynton delivers a sort of French omelet that is light and delicious.

Martin Sheen plays Anthony, the transplanted American who didn't realize Nicole would be employed in real life in Nicole's firm. He makes a wonderful waiter who must serve dinner to his real boss and a company of sophisticated corporate types without being discovered. Jacqueline Bisset, is also marvelous in the role of Nicole. Ms. Bisset is one of the most beautiful actresses, with a timeless beauty that is quite unmatched by her contemporaries. Jean-Pierre Cassel is C.P. the boss of Nicole and Anthony. Victoria Shalet, is the bratty Marie, who changes her attitude and become human as Anthony doesn't take any nonsense from her.

This is a sunny comedy that will charm the viewer that is looking for an easy and relaxing time with a film.