Le Cadeau (1982) - film review

When banker Grégoire Dufour announces his decision to take early retirement at the age of 55, his colleagues decide to offer him the ultimate leaving present, a call girl.  On a train bound for Milan for a final business trip, Grégoire meets Barbara, the woman of his dreams, and allows himself to be lured to Venice for a rapturous extra-marital fling.  Unbeknown to him, his successor at the bank is also in Venice, with the intention of seducing Charlotte, his son’s ex-girlfriend...

Whilst at times it veers dangerously close to being a parody of a cheap American sex comedy, Le Cadeau manages to rise above the familiar clichés and is, over all, an engaging and entertaining film.  Pierre Mondy brings humour and pathos to his portrayal of a man struggling to bring some passion back into his life (although you’d have thought that wouldn’t be too difficult if you were married to Italian beauty Claudia Cardinale).  The storyline is pretty weak, marred by a secondary subplot that makes little, if any, sense, but there are some good jokes, Michel Lang’s direction has a few inspired moments, and the beautifully shot location sequences in Venice add a touch of class.

© James Travers 2008

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