Garçon! (1983) - film review

After a life of emotional and professional upsets, Alex finds himself headwaiter in a chic Parisian restaurant.  Well into middle age, divorced but still very much a ladies’ man, he has one great ambition: to open an amusement park by the sea.  One day, an old flame, Claire, suddenly re-enters his life.  For Alex, the fires of love are easily re-kindled, but Claire has another man in her life…

Claude Sautet’s third collaboration with Yves Montand – after the popular César et Rosalie (1972) and Vincent, François, Paul...et les autres (1974) – is this light hearted comedy-drama which plays to Montand’s strengths and allows Sautet to once more explore one of his favourite themes – the strength of friendship in relation to the ephemeral nature of male-female romantic relationships.  In comparison with the director’s better known works, it is pretty much an inconsequential film, easily overlooked and soon forgotten once seen.  However, a pleasing performance from a relentlessly cheerful Yves Montand, here playing an ageing Don Juan of impeccable manners, makes this a mildly enjoyable cinematic diversion.


© James Travers 2005

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