Potiche

This film was primarily a glorification vehicle for former world beauty and French film icon Deneuve that got way too precious and obvious in its abject adoration by the end. This comedy about a tough factory owner who was kidnapped by his workers which allowed his more caring wife to take over his job was a bit better than TV quality fare and not much more than a mostly pleasant way to spend a couple of hours seeing how much a once great beauty has aged since her spot at the top of French cinema in the 60s and 70s. Deneuve's acting skill has not declined as much as her looks have but it has not improved much since then either, as her even, vapid personality made her role mostly uninteresting to me in this film just as most did back in the day. Other than her deserved status as a very attractive woman, there never was much there there. However, film always has been the showcase for the most beautiful women, as they do sell tickets no matter what kind of "acting" they do, as it's their "being" that counts more to an audience, especially to men. To their credit, the French are very appreciative and adamant about their icon worship, done very well recently in "The Illusionist" starring a graphic character of the incomparable Jacques Tati, but they went too far with little quality in Potiche.

Vehicle movies are pure vanity pieces and often dismissed as fluff homage, and usually do not recover the cost of making them as they mostly do poorly at the box office due to their too-obvious glorifying agenda where story is very secondary to the primary purpose of overt and excessive icon adoration. This film may do fine in France, but I fully expect very poor box office to be the case in America.

Catherine Deneuve at 68 is what Oscar Wilde called "That horror of horrors, a Handsome Woman..." Well, life is hard and time pitiless. We can say that she looks alright "considering her age", but when you look at pictures of her gorgeous 20 years...,, and not to mention her partner in this movie, Gerard Depardieu... Mon Dieu! he's really in bad shape!!! worse even that Jack Nicholson and that is saying a lot!!!

He wears an open jacket (I think he gave up trying to button up because his stomach is enormous) and it's almost embarrassing to watch both of them in the night club scene, dancing "modern", I almost avoided looking at the screen. Pitiful. He's totally miscast. Deneuve, being better "preserved", is still fun to look at. Excellent actress and a very good movie.

Funny in a very french way --it seems that the french can produce these incredibly light movies with as much ease as they make those heavenly Crêpe Suzettes. And as tasty. A very good entertainment done in very nice colors and at the perfect pacing for such a light comedy. Fun to watch!

Of course I was a bit on the defensive having tickets for a film starring several famous actors with a long history in major roles, like Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu. Though fearing a sort of reliving-past-glories event, embarrassing for actors and viewers alike, it was a relief that I was proved wrong in my expectations. My final conclusion is that the film is entertaining throughout, after starting a bit weak. As a result it will entertain a large population of viewers.

The only minus points I have lie in the first 15 minutes. Especially the opening scene did not bode well for the rest. We see Catherine jogging and interacting with animals. Subsequently, in the same 15 minutes, my worst feelings seemed further confirmed because of a few scenes with family members. It showed a lot of overly emphasized role playing, each doing his very best to highlight the bad elements of their respective characters.

Past that opening exposition of main characters, the story took off and kept us all awake for the remainder of the time. What happens with the members of the family and the people around them, is very diverse and full of surprises. None of it can possibly be predicted.

An array of developments and complications unfold. All of these build on the good and bad psychological properties shown earlier, together making up the main character roles. In spite of what I said before, we see that aforementioned opening scenes are paying back, after all. The overacting that I observed in the opening scenes, may be only my imagination, being the result of my initial (wrong) attitude.

The film is a washout.I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would give this a good review, unless (as it would appear) they a) expected something terrible or b) it was a welcome relief from watching a spate of other movies at a festival. It is a fine tribute to Catherine Deneuve, stop. Well, maybe also a pleasant appearance and tribute to that vastly overweight, but also vastly likable and talented Depardieu. The acting otherwise was atrocious, the characters caricatures. The plot in itself was credible enough and could have been followed quite successfully to some conclusion, but then takes some uncalled for and inexplicable turns which don't do anything to resuscitate a hammy production. Avoid it unless your only other option is a colonscopy.

I first saw the French actress Catherine Deneuve in a movie in the English-language "Repulsion" in 1965 when she as just 22. Playing the 'trophy wife' of the title in this 2010 French film, Deneuve is 67 but still glamorous. When Suzanne Pujol's husband (Fabrice Luchini) - a sexist partner and a harsh boss - has to absent himself from his 300-employee umbrella factory for health reasons, she takes over and transforms both the industrial relations and the business performance of the plant with a sensitive feminine touch that makes full use of her connections including the local mayor (Gérard Depardieu).

Set in 1977 and a comedy, this is an old-fashioned and very light work that lacks any subtlety or nuance with writer and director François Ozon simply satiring both the factory owner and his trade unions (CFDT and UGT).