Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite (2001) - film review

At 21, Michèle is convinced that she is a failure.  A model with a bright future ahead of her, she is thrown into a state of depression when she breaks up with her boyfriend, Bertrand.  To combat her growing sense of insecurity, she decides that what she needs is a bit of divine support, so she embarks on a quest for religion.  Catholicism has its attractions but Michèle quickly decides that Buddhism may be a better bet, mainly for the meditating.   Whilst Michèle is busy looking for God, she begins a relationship with a 30-something vet, François.  When the latter lets slip that he is a Jew, Michèle wastes no time adopting Judaism as her religion of choice...

Made in 1998, Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite didn’t see the light of day until September 2001, several months after the release of Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, the film that made Audrey Tautou an international star and a household name in France.  Completion of the film was delayed for eighteen months when the original producer went bankrupt and alternative backers were sought.  It was the second film to be directed by Pascale Bailly.

A characteristically Gallic version of Bridget Jones’s Diary (which also happened to be released in 2001), Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite is a frothy romantic comedy which benefits from an imaginative script and a cast of talented performers.  Audrey Tautou is as delightful as ever, and could be playing Amélie’s twin sister here, looking not for a fantasy romance but for a religion with teeth.  Tautou naturally steals the show but she is ably supported by two equally likeable performers, Edouard Baer and Julie Depardieu, making this an enjoyable inoffensive romp.

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