Summary
France, 1981. Antoine Lombard is the secretary of state for
Universities in the newly elected social government. During a
hostile meeting with the employers’ union, he meets Florence
Vannier-Buchet, a hard-headed businesswoman who owns one of the
country’s largest sportswear companies. Their politics may be
diametrically opposed, but Antoine and Florence are drawn to one
another by an intense mutual attraction, and they are soon perusing a
passionate love affair. When he begins to suspect that his wife
is cheating on him, Florence’s husband, a prominent banker, insists
that they get divorced. Florence refuses. Despite her love
for Antoine, she cannot bring herself to give up the wealth and
prestige that she currently enjoys, or so she thinks...
Review
Magnetic performances from Nicole Garcia and Sami Frey salvage an
otherwise lacklustre romantic comedy which is somewhat marred by plot
contrivance and poor character development. Garcia was something
of a high-class sex symbol in France when this film was made and her
explicit love scenes with Frey are sensual without being
gratuitous. As ever, Jacques Rouffio’s direction is more
workmanlike than inspired, although he cannot prevent the supporting
artistes - notably Pierre Arditi and Philippe Léotard - from
looking like spare limbs. The screenwriters’ attempts to link the
central love story up with contemporary French politics (the industrial
strife of the early 1980s) appear heavy handed and merely distract us
from what the film should be about, which is Garcia’s and Frey’s
personal quandary over their seemingly ill-matched love affair.
© James Travers 2011
Write a review for this film...
© James Travers 2011
Write a review for this film...
User Comments
Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
- Best of the French New Wave
- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- The best French comedy-dramas
- Other French films of the 1980s
- The best French films of the 1980s
- Other French comedy-dramas
- Biography and films of Jacques Rouffio
To buy this film
Check DVD and Blu-ray availability:
Credits
- Director: Jacques Rouffio
- Script: Jacques Kirsner, Jacques Rouffio
- Photo: Dominique Chapuis
- Music: Philippe Sarde
- Cast: Nicole Garcia (Florence Vannier-Buchet), Sami Frey (Antoine Lombard), Pierre Arditi (Jean-Marc Vannier-Buchet), Philippe Léotard (Pierre-Julien), Dominique Labourier (Jeanne Lombard), Marc Berman (Weber), Jean Rougerie (Edmond Lombard), Yvette Etiévant (Madeleine Lombard), Yves Pignot (Eric Buppon)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 85 min
- Aka: State of Grace
Similar films
If you like this film you may also like the following:- Cet obscur objet du désir (1977)
- Clara et moi (2004)
- Cravate club (2002)
- La Dentellière (1977)
- J’ai horreur de l’amour (1997)
- Monsieur Hire (1989)
- Nationale 7 (2000)
- Reines d’un jour (2001)
- Section spéciale (1975)
- Le Septième ciel (1997)
- Trop belle pour toi (1989)
- Un mauvais fils (1980)
- La Vie est un long fleuve tranquille (1988)
- Western (1997)

Comedy / Drama / Romance






