Thirty-Five Something (2005)

the audience applauded

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Tout pour plaire, or 35 Something as it is called abroad, is a thoroughly enjoyable flick for grrlz. It has no pretensions of being Palme d'Or material, but neither is the majority of films made in the world. This film aims merely to entertain the audience with the trials and tribulations of a trio of upper middle class Parisian women, friends since childhood. One, is the eternal bachelorette who chases men away with her scathing sarcasm, the second unhappily married and unappreciated at work and the third in a loving marriage with a good for nothing painter as husband.The film follows the girls through a difficult time in their lives. The first has been dumped by her insecure boyfriend, the second discovers her husband is cheating and the third contemplates cheating herself with a man who is more energetic and ambitious than her lazy husband.All's well that ends well. If you do not have too high expectations of this film, it will keep you pleasantly entertained for an hour and a half.

When on wants to photograph something with the best brightness possible photographs use a tripod. To tell us a delightful story the Director Cécile Telerman (also co-writer of the script) used three excellent french actress: Mathilde Seigner, Anne Paurillaud and Judith Godrèche. They play (in sequence): Juliette - beginning counselor who doesn't measure her words (crass but truthful) - Florence (example of perfect mother/wife always willing to serve the husband "an artist who never have sold a single work" and with great sacrifice, including jeopardizing her career, educated their son). The film is typically french (scenaries) for instance: 1) a quick look of a beautiful square, in which the three friends talk and walk - the camera moving backwards; and 2) a table with bottles of wine (when I saw that scene I remembered my last visit to Paris, his tasteful wines and food...) To the point: a highly recommendable movie for those who like a comedy like only french and/or Belgian people can do. By the way: is the personage Xavier (Bernard Yerlès) a motion-picture producer and/or director a "copy" of Cécile Telerman? In a scale of 1 to 10, I vote 9 (excellent).

Don't go see this if you don't have a sense of humour or if you're an obstinate chauvinist or if you don't understand French. This movie likes to turn things around, it's a breeze as well as some sort of a hurricane on bad times, habits, things you do just because you're used to do them or because that's the way things are done here.Now, if you feel like having your mind blown open, or if you feel a bit down and need A Good Laughter or two or three... what are you waiting for? Judith is as glamorous as ever, Anne is as beautiful as usual and Mathilde is as dry and witty and sometimes mean as necessary. I promise you won't feel down or depressed when you leave your seat :-)Ahem! Now, if you're 40-ish, still single, again single, possibly getting bald... well, don't take it too personal ;-)A Good Time (tm)

This is another of those extra-light souffles the French turn out so effortlessly and which, like Domestic champagne, slip down easily on their own turf but seldom travel well. There's absolutely no reason why distributors would want to import this, none of the three leading actresses have much of, if any at all, a following outside France despite boasting three very respectable CVs. This is yet another take on our old fried the mid-life crisis as it applies to three thirty-something girls who have been friends since childhood, doctor, Judith Godreche, lawyer Mathilde Seigner and Indian chief Anne Parilllaud. Not a lot happens, they go shopping, go drinking, indulge in girl talk, have affairs or not as the case may be but they do it with panache, it's pleasant to watch and entirely forgettable. 6 stars.