O Closet

Faced with a choice of American "look-alike" movies, I watched this little gem on the basis of the cast alone. What an excellent choice!

This is a brilliantly funny movie, with some unforgettable moments - particularly the "testing department" sequence in the condom factory. The story is amusing, the cast are perfect, particularly Gerard Depardieu's hilarious, touching, crazy mixed up macho/gay guy. The premise, that in order to keep his job a colourless little accountant has to pretend that he is gay (a very tongue in cheek comment on prejudice here) - the can of worms that he opens up has many aspects, both good and bad. And they gave us a happy ending - what more can one ask for? Recommended.

Anti-discrimination laws are given a tweaking in this light, amusing French comedy. Auteuil plays an unassuming, rather colorless, 20-year employee of a condom factory. When, one day, he is told that he will be let go due to corporate downsizing, he is suicidally despondent. However, a caring neighbor (Aumont) devises a scheme that will possibly save Auteuil's job. He decides to "out" Auteuil as gay so that the dismissal will look like discrimination, thus panicking the company into keeping him on staff. This act sets into motion a number of comical complications, much of which involve the company macho man/bully (Depardieu) and Auteuil's boss Laroque. The film is pretty superficial and doesn't really delve into all the ramifications of it's storyline situation, but it does provide some easy laughs and some strong performances throughout. Auteuil is properly average, yet eventually ingratiating. Depardieu shows why he's one of France's top actors with a right-on, finely nuanced portrayal. His is probably one of the most complicated characters in the film and he handles it well. Laroque is an attractive and solid presence as well. Aside from a host of good actors, the film also boasts a gorgeous production design. All of the costumes, sets and color schemes come together to create a distinctive and pleasing look. The plot is almost paper thin and characters don't often act as real people would, but this is a farce and, as such, it delivers some amusement and interest. One disconcerting thing is the level of cruelty in some cases. One character is savagely beaten and another has his life virtually destroyed all in the name of "fun". This could be due to a different perspective between a U.S. viewpoint and a French one. It tarnishes the goodwill and fun of the film, but only slightly. Mostly, it is a pretty and frothy concoction (complete with one of the most adorable kittens ever seen on screen) that shouldn't offend or upset any of it's target audience.

This is a delightful character study and social commentary masquerading as a broad farce. It is very, very funny. They avoid cheap "queer" jokes and cheap "homophobe" jokes even as they bluntly portray attitudes about homosexuals. Even though they use very real language to illustrate the attitudes. There is some great acting throughout. Each of the characters is a study in itself. The homophobic character (Depardieu) emerges as intriguing and sympathetic, where it could have been two dimensional. The relationship between Auteil and Aumont almost brought me to tears. The transformation of the lead character is believable, despite the improbable context that the film creates. The final scene with his ex-wife is powerful. Others have pointed out that the lead character never changes, the perceptions of others change. This makes his actual transformation that much more effective. This movie is a real find.

Anyone who dismisses foreign films as too abstract or intellectual should see this one; it functions no differently than any American comedy. (By American comedy, I'm speaking of movies like the better Coen Brothers or Woody Allen comedies and not mass-produced garbage like "White Chicks".) Many times I completely forgot it was in French and that I was reading subtitles.

Daniel Auteuil is great in this charming film. His sad-sack loser is reminiscent of William H. Macy's most famous roles, or perhaps Jack Lemmon in "The Apartment".

Everything goes wrong for François Mignon. Neither his wife, who left him two years before, nor his teenage son will have anything to do with him. He is ignored at work, and finds out through the grapevine that he has been fired.

His next-door neighbor talks him out of suicide and comes up with a plan to save his job: if Mignon pretends to be gay, the company will not want to look homophobic by firing him.

This plan works perfectly, and Mignon is thrown into a number of increasingly ridiculous situations, now that he is reputed to be gay.

The film wraps up quickly and ties together almost too neatly, but the ending fits the fast paced comic style of everything before it. Overall, this is an entertaining and heartwarming film.

The Closet (2000)

Cute, quaint, well done, and a French feel good comedy. This is nothing brilliant, but it's the equal of lots of American comedies in creating a situation that is filled with built-in laughs. And the leading man, Daniel Auteuil, is funny and sympathetic.

The setting for this all is an office of the most preposterous kind--a condom factory. This is meant to be funnier than it is, actually, but it's a colorful backdrop to the opening salvo--our leading man is not the best accountant and he gets fired. Back home, where his life has left him and his son has stopped talking to him, his neighbor stops him from jumping off the balcony to his death. And concocts a simple plan to keep his job: pretend he is gay.

The hook here is that by being openly gay the man would be able to claim he was fired by the gay bashers at the factory. This doesn't quite hold up, but the key basher is played with nice complexity by Gerard Depardieu, who himself begins to show some latent something or other.

There is plenty of sympathy and warmth to go around here, and lots of appropriate laughs as you empathize with the main guy. Eventually, of course, people discover the ruse and that starts some new jokes. All in all enjoyable and fun, without a dull moment. And that's all you expect or need from this kind of movie.