Honkon

Very few directors are prepared to take the sort of liberties Blier does, both in terms of subject matter and the manner of telling the story. "Trop Belle Pour Toi" is perhaps his most accessible film, telling the story of a successful man with a beautiful wife who unaccountably falls in love with his dumpy secretary. Depardieu is wonderful in this, utterly bewildered by his predicament, and the noted comedienne Balasko is radiant as a woman in love.

The style is almost cubist, the celebrated "beginning middle and end but not necessarily in that order", and alternative storylines are proposed and discarded at whim, to the evident confusion of some viewers. Blier has often gone all out to shock but that's less evident here, however his audacious humour remains intact. Not one for the viewer who likes to sit back and be told a straight story but for the rest of us, a joy from start to finish.

The best thing about this film is the acting - an astonishingly stellar cast most of whom are content to play very minor roles in the most understated way with no hint of showing off. A testament to the pulling power of a respected director instead of the usual Hollywood hacks perhaps. Catherine Keener is magnificent as always - see "Malkovich" and then this for an example of what acting is all about. Elizabeth Berkeley even gets a chance to show that once out of the clutches of Verhoeven she can actually act.

After de Cillo's Bunuel-esque flourishes in "Living in Oblivion" this quiet little comedy about artifice, authenticity and relationships was perhaps a slight disappointment, however this is no doubt due to approaching it with preconceptions. It's a quality piece of work throughout, an affectionate satire of the entertainment business, and a cautionary tale about not giving up what you need to get what you want. I liked it.

I must admit, first time I wasn't overly keen on this as it seemed so static, but watched it again recently with my brother & we reckon we managed to put enough of the pieces together. Same structure as "Mulholland Drive" really, and have there ever been films that took place so much inside the protagonist's head? Fred's head, baby, Fred's head....

What I want to know is, if "Eraserhead" was Lynch's response to becoming a father, what's happened in his relationships to produce these last two movies? Something untoward with the pool cleaner?

Reading the other comments, it's notable that nearly all the people who didn't like the movie had no clue what it was about and how the two parts fit together. Which would make it kind of a bore I guess, particularly if you're into that instant gratification thing. Read the other comments, guys, pick up the clues, watch it again and see if it isn't one of the slyest cinematic jigsaws ever.