Cliente

Pas mal, but so what? There seem to be a novel French cultural obsession with male love for hire. Last year gave us the total fluff of "Hors de Prix," but at least that had Gad Elameh, Audrey Tatou, Nice and Biarritz as a stunning backdrop. Cliente does a little better on the fluff side, with director (and excellent support actress) Josiane Balasko injecting some social concern in an otherwise lightweight comedy. Viewers are however left wondering if the setup was really necessary.

The story revolves around Marco, aka Patrick, escort for hire for older rich ladies in search of lunchtime company in Paris. Marco is pushed to the oldest profession by the need to support his wife's budding business, and therefore escape from a difficult cohabitation. When the wife Fanny finds out about the moonlighting, like the say, things will never be the same.

In any case Cliente delivers good fun, almost never misses a beat and has a couple of truly hilarious moments.

CLIENTE ('A FRENCH GIGOLO') is a bit of French fluff using the subject of the world's oldest profession in an up to date role reversal situation. The 'seller' in this story is a young male construction worker (Marco - Eric Caravaca) who is married to Fanny (isabelle Carré) who owns a beauty salon that is on hard times: Marco's income drops below tolerable and he decides to try being a gigolo so that his wife won't lose her salon. The 'buyer' or client is divorced television personality and executive Judith (Natalie Baye) who satisfies her personal needs by hiring men via the internet for lunchtime trysts. Marco (who uses the name Patrick for his secret profession) connects with Judith and Judith pays him well for his services until Fanny discovers the source of Marco/Patrick's income and threatens to end their marriage. Marco returns to the home front, but returning to his life as a construction worker hardly pays the bills, and as Fanny stands to lose her salon, she encourages Marco to re-enter the life of a gigolo. Judith hires him again and a growing bond results from what should be a business arrangement. How Judith copes with the changes and the decisions Marco/Patrick makes fleshes out this light comedy that contains just enough of a bite to make it realistic.

There are other sidebar stories - Judith's sister's her affair with an American Indian, Marco's beloved Grandmother, Fanny's obnoxious live-in sister and Fanny's mother, and the reaction at the television studio by Judith's compatriots and their responses to her life style - that keep the story floating with very humorous and at times very tender diversions. Natalie Baye is her usual stunning self and manages to keep her character from becoming a parody. Josiane Balsako directs her own screenplay based on her own novel and understands the delicacies as well as the humor of the subject matter. It all works well and provides an evening of French comedy with a twist.

Grady Harp

i don't think that there is a Hollywood version of the same topic. i enjoyed watching it truly, and i am surprised that it got such an average rating.

the best support actress award should go to the mother. i have seen a few french films, i don't think that i have seen any older women like her before, her acting was excellent.

and it seems that in European films, their male studs have average bodies. if this film was made in Hollywood, i am sure that the director will only hire a guy who is young, hot looking, and most of all, a great body. this actor in this film only has an very average body, and he is not shaved.

so it seems that there are poor people in France, too. that is another new topic, i don't think that i have seen a french film about common workers who are struggling to make a living, etc.

if you are expecting to see lots of hot sex scenes, you will be disappointed. neither the guy or the ladies had any hot sex scenes.

it is always refreshing to watch a foreign film to see what people are doing in other countries. i rated this film an 8.