À gauche en sortant de l’ascenseur (1988) - film review

Yan, a successful artist, is waiting for his date, Florence, to turn up at his apartment.  His doorbell rings and on his doorstep he finds another young woman, his neighbour Eva, dressed in her underwear.  She tells him she has just locked herself out of her apartment and insists that he helps her.  Whilst trying to enter Eva’s apartment via their adjoining balcony, the phone rings.  It is Florence, and she is not impressed when a half-naked young woman answers the phone.  At this point, Eva’s rabidly jealous boyfriend Boris returns home and, seeing Yan in his apartment, deduces that Eva has been having an affair behind his back.  Florence then turns up and Yan tries in vain to explain the situation.  By chance, Florence’s husband suddenly puts in an appearance.  After that, it all starts to get a bit complicated...

Comedy genius Pierre Richard is on fine form in this convoluted but thoroughly entertaining bedroom farce, directed by Edouard Molinaro.  The film is an adaptation of a successful play by Gérard Lauzier which ran for one year in Paris, in 1986, and starred Daniel Auteuil.  Although the narrative does get somewhat repetitive and overly complicated in a few places, the exuberant performances from Richard and his magnificent co-stars - Richard Bohringer, Emmanuelle Béart and Fanny Cottençon – just keep the comedy rolling.  The star of the film is the door to Pierre Richard’s apartment, which supplies most of the laughs even gets an on-screen credit (it’s not the first time an inanimate piece of wood masquerading as an actor has had that honour).

© James Travers 2006

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