Belle maman (1999) - film review

On the very day of his marriage to Séverine, lawyer Antoine allows his attentions to wander… in the direction of his future mother-in-law Léa.  When he subsequently reveals his interest in Léa, the 50-something career woman insists there is no way they can have an affair.   The family is reunited at Léa’s hotel in the Bahamas to celebrate the 70th birthday of Léa’s mother, Nicou, a lesbian who shares her life with the slightly deranged Brigitte.  Despite the fact that his wife has just given birth, Antoine is still irresistibly drawn towards Léa, and she realises that she too may be in love…

Although less original and daring than Gabriel Aghion’s previous film, Pédale douce (1996), Belle maman is a respectable comedy-romance which benefits from an exceptional star-studded cast.  Catherine Deneuve hasn’t looked as good as this for years and her performance, alongside the magnificent Vincent Lindon, is one of her most rewarding in decades.   Line Renaud, Stéphane Audran and Jean Yanne provide great entertainment value, and a touch of poignancy, in some well-drawn supporting roles.

Aided and abetted by ace screenwriter Danièle Thompson, Aghion manages to balance the film’s comic and dramatic elements with great skill, although the film does feel unevenly structured.  After a spectacular opening sequence, which wrong-foots the spectator into thinking this is going to be a frenetic, hugely energetic musical, the pace slips abruptly into that of a more conventional French comedy-drama.  The sudden shift in location doesn’t help matters – one minute we’re in Paris, the next we’re in the Bahamas, then back to Paris – neither does the over abundance of half-developed story strands.  All this suggests that Aghion didn’t have a clear vision of the kind of film he was trying to make at the outset.  In a way, it’s a kind of pot pourri of a film – colourful and fragrant, but a bit of a mess, albeit an attractive one.

There is some great comedy (and a lot of needless vulgarity, but let’s overlook that), which should guarantee at least a few laughs.  The film’s final sequence – where the angelic children of the odd-ball family attempt to unpick the complex plot of relationships – is hilarious.  The film’s greatest strength, however, is in its sensitive and credible portrayal of a forbidden affair.

© James Travers 2005

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