Madame

A film that looks at the relationship between employer and employee. It has several funny scenes but it's easy to choke on the laughter since the story feels a bit too real at times. I enjoyed it and even if there's some nasty bits I think the film has a positive vibe

I feel that 'Madame' needs a few words spoken in its defence.

Trying to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, this is a lovely, bitter-sweet little dramedy, unusual in its ending. And this latter element is precisely what is charming about it. It is not just another Disney-like, implausible, 'Cinderella' story of the type Hollywood throws up at us with admirable frequency. Though by far not a masterpiece, and in search of a character, being not quite a drama, nor quite a comedy, the ending makes it stand out.

In my view, the ending is perfect precisely because it is more realistic, it feels more real. Characters who live in a false world (keeping thin by forcefully throwing up, or organising luxurious parties while being on the verge of bankruptcy) remain in their false world, continuing to suffer in their gilded cages. Is that not the perfect punishment? People who were always dignified, who had self-respect and a certain untouched morality, retain their dignity, their esteem, in their own eyes, and in the eyes of the audience. Is that not an effective ending? It is not necessary to always have the same reversal of roles, easily served, and so easily digested, dispensed with, and forgotten.

Every time a script goes outside the usual, overused Hollywood trope, audiences start to bitch and moan at how awful this is, how unsatisfied they are. I have a strong feeling, that if it had the ending everyone is so anxious for, these same people would say: 'Well, where's the novelty in that? We've seen that before'.

Haven't we seen enough 'Maids in Manhattan'? Do we really need yet another fairly empty romance story with the usual players - the low-born or low-placed but (always!) beautiful girl, the quirky, but ridiculous best friend, the rich and powerful stud who crosses the social divide for love? Such films are sweet, but outside their very narrow romantic premise, sweet as that may be, they say very little either about society, or about the people in it, their character, their self-perception, their understanding of the world around them. 'Madame' has something to say about these things. It says it with much less panache than 'Remains of the Day', but it is closer to the real world of today than other romantic comedies.

No, I do not consider 'Madame' a masterpiece. Nor do I feel it wants to be such. If its aims are modest, they are still interesting and valid, and if the satire and social commentary are modest, this does not make them necessarily less effective, or less intelligent.

Perhaps giving it a 7 is too generous (or, depending on ones perspective and understanding, not generous enough). Yet I feel the ending does merit recognition, and if I gave the rest a six, the ending pulls in a star on its own.

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.

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.

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.