La daronne

'' Mama Weed '' is a French Black Comedy about a woman who works as a translator for the police, decides to become a drug dealer herself, like those she has been translating all these years. There is a creepy and mysterious past that surrounds her, as small details of it resurface here and there, as well as some touching ones when it came to her daughters and her relationship with her mother.

On the other hand, and even though there were some interesting plotlines that could have been developed and managed better, the movie fails to impress. In the end, it feels like a half baked drama with no climax and no real story.

The performances, at least, were all great.

So, overall, five out of ten.

My Review- The Godmother, or La Daronne, or Mama Weed My Rating 8/10 This very entertaining French film amazingly wasn't even considered in submissions for Best International Feature movie and as far as I'm concerned it's far superior than the winning Oscar movie from Denmark "Another Round." It may sound an odd description in describing La Daronne or "Mama Weed "as an elegant ,touching, and humorous film about a glamorous drug dealer but that's what it really is .

The wonderful and still beautiful French Actress Isabelle Huppert who was nominated for an Oscar in 2017 ( becoming one of only 7 actresses to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for a French Speaking role) for Elle stars as Patience Portefeux an underpaid, overworked French-Arabic translator in charge of phone surveillance for a narcotics police unit uses her insider knowledge and police resources to build her own crime network.

The film script of The Godmother is written by Hannelore Cayre, the author of the original novel, La Daronne, which took out the 'Quais du Polar', a prize awarded annually to the best crime or thriller novel by a European author in French or a French translation.

It's skilfully directed by Jean Paul Salomé and has a great supporting cast including Hippolyte Girardot as the Police Chief in charge of trying to apprehend Mama Weed who is much closer to him than he really thinks . Also a lovely performance by Liliane Rovére as Mme Portefeux the mother of Patience who is in aged care .

There's a cute local reference in the film when Patience is describing a photo on her wall to Sydney in this film about our New Year Fireworks Celebrations , which shows how famous our annual New Year Celebration is.

This is a very entertaining film and well worth a look I especially loved the Christmas display at Galeries Lafayette where Mama Weed and her 2 daughters "go shopping with her mother."

Whether you call it La daronne, Mamma Weed or The Godmother, Jean-Paul Salomé's screen adaption of Hannelore Cayre's award winning novel is a sight to behold. At times satirical, sometimes serious, a romp as ridiculous as it is romantic, La daronne has created a film about liars that is at all times honest. A true genre bending experience that defies tonal expectations and seems deeply intent on sending its message to all watchers, whether they want it or not. A message as heart-warming as it is controversial. We are all just people.

At its core, this film is a crime thriller, following the exploits of a police interpreter who comes from a family of drug runners, being given the opportunity and choosing to break bad. It runs through all the noir and dramatic tropes. A by the number's cops and robber's tale, with doomed romances and violent standoffs abound. What makes The Godmother unique is that while it uses every cliches in the book, it subverts every one of them. Showing a truly honest reflection of reality, viewers are treated to the rarely seen truth behind the criminal mythos. No one really knows what they are doing. The police aren't just relentless machines of justice, hunting down their hapless prey, they are regular old people, just doing a job and trying to help. Drug runners aren't violent perverts, they are often just kids trying to get by. Even those higher up on the chain don't sit around a warehouse smoking cigars and plotting evil. They take care of their families and hang out with their friends. They run a business the same way any regional manager does. Even our protagonist (Expertly played by Isabelle Huppert), for all that she runs circles around the police, keeps the gangs in line, and makes herself into a criminal boss to be feared, she is just a middle-aged mother, trying to keep my family together and deal with the same life struggles as everyone else.

Jean-Paul Salomé is unafraid to let each situation play out with brutal honesty. He lets interactions become awkward and strained. Romantic gestures go unnoticed and miscommunication runs rampart. There are no seamless handovers, each side walking away without counting the money. There is no honour among thieves and super geniuses don't hang around dark alleys selling weed. The crime is still crime, people get hurt and their actions are inexcusable, but that doesn't mean they aren't understandable. The Godmother walks the tightrope of showing each side of the law, warts and all, without glorifying or vilifying either. There are no heroes or villains in this story, just police and criminals, going about their lives, trying to get though the day.

There are many who take offense to the idea that the people in jail are just as human and relatable as them. Those people are unlikely to enjoy Rialto Distribution's latest offering. For everyone else, or even just those willing to go in with an open mind, The Godmother is a funny, sad, ridiculous look at realism, and well worth your time.

The chameleon and always infallible Isabelle Huppert becomes a queen of drug trafficking among the traffickers of Paris in this ¨police comedy¨ or ¨thriller with hints of humor¨ depending on how you look at it . In the film Huppert plays a Patience Portefeux , a discreet translator in charge of phone surveillance for a narcotics police unit , from the Parisian anti-drug squad and whose chief - Hippolyte Girardot- turns out to be her lover . She goes over to the other side when, by some twist of fate, a loot of hashish falls into her hands . Isabelle Huppert is 50% Cop 50% Dealer 100% Pure !

Based on the novel by Hannelore Cayre , the story centers around Patience Portefeux, an underpaid , overworked French-Arabic translator then she realizes she knows the mother of one of the drug dealers, Patience decides to cover for him and gets herself more and more deeply involved in the world of drug trafficking. Soon, she is using her insider knowledge and police resources to build her own crime network and earns the name Mama Weed. Mama Maria or Mama Weed offers a sharp look into the world of drug trafficking, skillfully blending irony , drama and suspense. Huppert gives a splendid acting as a translator working for the police gets involved in the other side of drug dealing . Huppert explained that "this character is quite a gift for an actress" , she is Patient, a widow with unfortunate life who becomes a double agent, a role out of the ordinary , which was created by the novelist Hannelore Cayre based on his own experiences as a criminal lawyer.

It displays an intriguing and adequate musical score by notorious French composer Bruno Coulais. As well as atmospheric , adequate cinematography by cameraman Julien Hirsch . The motion picture was well directed and written -along with Hannelore Cayre- by Jean Paul Salomé . Craftsman Jean-Paul Salomé served as president of the ARP (the French Authors', Directors', and Producers' Guild) , has won several awards and has an interesting and prestigious career , first working as a trainee for director Claude Lelouch, who hired him during the production of his film ¨Bolero¨. He went on to direct two documentaries, ¨L'Heure d'aimer¨ in 1983 and ¨La Petite Commission¨ in 1984, both of which were selected at numerous film festivals . After making his first feature-length film for television , he directed the feature film ¨Les Braqueuses¨ in 1993. Five years later, he directed ¨Tourist Trap¨, which tells the story of a group of tourists who get lost in the middle of nowhere in the United States. In 2000, he directed a new cinematic adaptation of the myth of Belphegor,¨Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre¨. In 2004, he directed an updated adaptation of the iconic tale of the gentleman thief , ¨Arsène Lupin¨, followed, in 2007, by ¨Female Agents¨with a French star-studded cast . And¨The Chameleon¨, which was shot in the United States, was released in 2010. His most recent feature, ¨Playing Dead¨ was released in December 2013. And this ¨Mama Weed¨ (2020) at his best . Rating : 7/10 . The yarn will appeal to Isabelle Huppert fans.

Subtitles... patience (isabelle huppert) is a translator for the french police. When there's a bust, she is brought in to question the prisoners, and to listen in on telephone calls. Right now, she also needs to raise money pronto for her own rent and for her elderly mother. When patience overhears a conversation that is someone she knows, she helps the drug runner hide the hash before the cops get there. Lots of cussing in various languages. Patience keeps taking things further and further... she sets up her own network, and even figures out a way to launder the money with the home-owner association. Sure, we're overlooking a few things, but it's fun to see how far she can go with this scheme. Will she get away with it?? The title on screen at the beginning is la daronne, which really means the mom. Directed by jean paul salome, who also made sitting duck with huppert. It's fun. Zips right along. She's a criminal, but we want her to succeed.