Trophy Wife (2011)

Best movie of this year hands down!

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This is almost certainly the worst film I've ever seen and I've seen some stinkers and definitely the worst French film; worse even than "Parapluies de Cherbourg" of which I've never managed to bear more than 10 minutes before screaming. It's hard to find a place to start the criticism but perhaps with the fact that it's not a moving picture but a filmed stage farce of the "Carry on up the Kyber" kind without the sparkle and wit of the Carry-on team. I love Deneuve and have long been a fan of Depardieu but this is a film in which they both do nothing but cruise along without trying and who can blame them? The plot wan't bad but the script and dialogue at the pre-pubescent level and the direction sloppy at best. It took me over half an hour to realise it was set in the seventies! I just thought the costume and photography odd! I couldn't stay awake I'll have to admit but I don't think I missed anything of any value and was rudely awakened by Deneuve singing an incredibly stupid song. Not even worthy to be called a turkey!

The French 70s. Factory occupations, managers being locked up, strikes and a strong communist party.This umbrella factory manager doesn't have an easy life, but he takes his revenge in mistreating his trophy wife, the "Potiche". She gets her revenge to, when the manager gets a heart attack, including renewed connection with her old lover, the communist mayor.The problem is the acting. Dépardieu is doing the same character he has done during too many movies now and Deneuve is not trustworthy. When French movie makers try to show us people in different states of being ridiculous, they seldom succeed. This is not 1977, it's a failed try to reborn it in 2011.

"Your job is to share my opinion." Robert Pujol (Fabrice Luchini) to his wife.As you can tell from the trailers and the above quote, Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Deneuve) will not remain a potiche (Trophy wife) for long in Potiche, a fluffy satire of the late '70's fascination with the feminist movement. It's a lightweight look at the emergence of a woman to run the family business in a style that melds conservative and liberal values in the form of negotiations with unions and meaningful dialogue.The soft touch of director Francois Ozon is evident in almost every frame, from Suzanne's modest but flattering outfits to her soothing charm that binds friends and family in a humanity coming partly from her considerable beauty, even as a middle-aged woman, and partly from a script that leans to the left with good cheer.Along the way writers Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy (both successful with Just Go with It) guarantee Suzanne will triumph in the factory and a coda that looks ahead to Hillary Clinton. Although none of the dialogue is memorable and some of the setups sophomoric, the film retains its respect for her and the mission of feminism. The sweetness of it all is that despite her philandering husband, Suzanne has a checkered past as well, making for a balanced battle of the sexes.

François Ozon's "Potiche" combines the labor movement with women's lib. It stars Catherine Deneuve as housewife Suzanne, whose husband Robert (Fabrice Luchini) owns an umbrella factory in 1977 France. When the workers go on strike and take Robert hostage, Suzanne has to negotiate with communist leader Maurice Babin (Gérard Depardieu) for his release...which leads to her taking leadership of the company! Along with this, the movie shows other things. Both of Suzanne and Robert's children have ended up on opposite ends of the political spectrum, while Suzanne and Maurice have a history of their own, and Robert has no qualms about the prospect of outsourcing the jobs to Tunisia, where he can pay cheaper wages. There's even a song early in the movie with a surprising lyric at the end! But overall, even though "Potiche" is not the best movie ever made, it's still a good look at the changing mores in the late '70s, with input from all sides. Definitely one that I enjoyed (and that I recommend).Also starring Karin Viard, Judith Godrèche and Jérémie Renier.