Mademoiselle (2001) - film review

Claire is a highflier.  She is married, with two children, and has a successful career with a major pharmaceuticals company.  Pierre is an inconsequential actor.  He scrapes a living performing improvisational acts at private functions, with his colleagues Karim and Alice.  At a business presentation, Claire finds herself attracted towards Pierre, even though they have nothing in common.  When she misses her coach, Claire accepts the offer of a lift from Pierre.  Events conspire to prevent the couple from separating and they soon become aware of their deeper feelings for one another…

Having made two more or less successful black comedies, Philippe Lioret turned to the rom-com genre for his third solo effort (he had also contributed to a couple of portmanteau movies in which several directors worked on isolated segments).  This time he has definitely hit one out of the park.  Subsequent films, L'Equipier (2004) and Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas (2006), would confirm him as one of the finest new talents in French cinema. 

Mademoiselle is a joy; an exploration of a bittersweet encounter between two seemingly mismatched people who are played to perfection by Jacques Gamblin and Sandrine Bonnaire, both of whom work well with Lioret.  Gamblin had already featured in a previous Lioret movie, Tenue correcte exigée (1997), and Bonnaire would star in his next, L'Equipier.  There was a time when Hollywood used to churn out films like this, complete with high gloss finish, but those days are long gone and for at least two decades France has conquered the genre.  This is a wonderful movie.

© Leon Nock (London, England) 2010 


Philippe Lioret directs this pleasing low-key comedy-drama which features two of French cinema’s most likeable and talented actors – Sandrine Bonnaire and Jacques Gamblin (previously seen together in Claude Chabrol’s 1999 film Au coeur du mensonge).  Despite a few awkward dips into excessive sentimentality (such as the totally naff nocturnal biking scene), the film offers a convincing and refreshingly simple portrayal of an ephemeral romantic liaison.  The chemistry between Bonnaire and Gamblin is spot on, carrying just the right touches of dramatic irony and poignancy to allow the film to connect with its audience and leave a lasting impression.

© James Travers 2004

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?