Peccato che sia femmina

I know many people have a mental block about foreign-language films, but this is an excellent taster for the nervous. No portentous symbolism or moody gazes into the middle-distance - just a witty, sexy comedy of errors, where the audience's sympathies bounce back and forth between the three principal characters. Instantly accessible to monolinguists - and yet its panache and pace could only be French (yeah, I know Abril is Spanish).

Incidentally, I know we're not really supposed to respond to other comments from IMDb users, but it's interesting to note that the movie-loving community displays just as much intolerance and uptightness about sexuality as any other disparate group of people.

This is one of those films where you can see each plot twist coming before the last is finished. The writers probably sat around saying "...and wouldn't it be funny if ..." and then just added another episode in this episodic picture. But it is fun, light, and doesn't try to press an ideology about human relationships on the viewer. What a relief! And the ending leaves a nice gap which the viewer can fill for himself. Perfect, to my mind. Fun fluff.

This film is typical of films made outside of mainstream Hollywood studios; it takes some old themes and treats them with an attention-grabbing freshness. Playing Loli, a young housewife living in the south of France, Victoria Abril is as delightful as a spring breeze in Provence. Her husband is an incorrigible infidel; we've seen many of those in films. However, when the masculine Marijo, played poignantly by Josiane Balasko, enters their lives, the story takes many unexpected and entertaining turns which render a fairly common theme completely unpredictable. Everyone to whom I recommend this film ends up watching it numerous times and recommending it to others. The soundtrack is now one of my most-played CD's.

I read the user comment for this film, my point of view is quite different :

1. I am surprised to see that Gazon Maudit was rated R and 18 in most countries. I saw this movie at 20:30 PM, on Sunday evening, on the main TV french channel, and I don't remember any scandal for this (and we have our share of intolerant bigots in France too...). OK, this picture is about sex, lesbians, homosexuality and triolism, we can see a few times Victoria Abril half or totally naked and Josiane Balasko smokes a lot of pot, but it is basically a comedy with no real provocation. I find much more vulgarity in, mmmh, let's say, the "American Pie" pictures - even if they don't show nudity - than in Gazon Maudit.

2. This movie is funny. No big laughs, but a good story and brilliant acting. We know that the situations are implausible (a nice married woman falls in love at first glance with a butch-lesbian-truck-driver, who will have a baby with her husband) but the characters are funny enough to forget minor errors in the script and you will enjoy the way of cross that the unfaithful husband (Alain Chabat) will have to go through.

3. I gave a rating of 6 because it's not a masterpiece. But if you find the plot outline attracting, if you ever wonder "What would I do if my wife leaves me for another woman ?", or if you want to see an uncommon film about relationships, you will not be disappointed !

Here's a film which is definitely outside the box for American audiences. French films are usually an acquired taste and this one is no exception. This is a delightful light comedy about a married couple whose life change upon the arrival of a butch lesbian to their lives. You don't have to be a genius to guess what's coming. Nevertheless, the movie is funny, it's done with great taste and sensibility, and even though the characters are not 100% belivable, they are not stereotypical. Victoria Abril is delicious, playing the wife whose disenchantment of the married life leads her to explore a lesbian affair. What I liked in particular about this comedy, is that sexual orientation never becomes the main issue in the movie, and it's really secondary to the human relationships that develop in this bizarre triangle. The script could have been a little less linear, but the characters are well developed and well played. Overall, French twist is a fun light comedy which probably wouldn't raise an eyebrow in Europe but will need a very open minded audience in the US. Unfortunately we're not ready yet.