Molière (2007)

Molière is a French comedy romance film first released in 2007, directed by Laurent Tirard.  The film stars Romain Duris, Fabrice Luchini, Laura Morante, Edouard Baer and Ludivine Sagnier.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


In 1644, a twenty-two year old actor named Molière dreams of becoming a great writer of tragic plays.  Unfortunately, he lacks inspiration and everyone seems to prefer his comedies.  Crippled by debts, he soon finds himself in prison.  He is released by the wealthy Monsieur Jourdain, who smuggles him into his house, in the guise of a priest, so that he can teach him the dramatic art.  Jourdain’s hope is that he can write a play which will allow him to win the heart (and bed) of the beautiful Célimène.   Unfortunately, Jourdain has no talent whatsoever and he even fails to notice his wife succumbing to Molière’s amorous charms...

Here’s a film which typifies the stultifying painting-by-numbers trend in cinema in recent years which seems to be becoming endemic and which is slowly killing the art of filmmaking.  Here’s the formula.  Start with a big, audience-pulling concept.  Knock out a formulaic screenplay that will offend no-one.  Get as many big name actors on board as you can afford.  Throw lots of money on set and costume design.  Set up the camera and roll.  Sit back and count the money.  Hollywood has been here for some time.  Now it seems that French cinema is going down the same path.

The concept for Molière is blatantly obvious: a Gallic re-interpretation of John Madden’s 1998 film Shakespeare in Love.  You take France’s most famous playwright, look for an unrecorded break in his life, and reverse-engineer a history for him based on his plays.  The folly of this becomes apparent if you imagine applying the same recipe to other writers, such as J.R.R. Tolkien or Stephen King.  The assumption being made is that a writer has to live an experience in order to write about it.  So, to have written Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, L’Avare and Tartuffe, Molière must have first seen these stories enacted in real life – which, to be perfectly frank, is bonkers and shows no understanding of the creative process.

Even if we overlook the absurdity of the film’s premise, Molière is still a mediocre film.  In some areas it excels – the sets and costumes are impressive and some scenes are shot with a great deal of flair and imagination.  There are some good jokes and generally the performances are enjoyable – particularly the interplay between Romain Duris and Fabrice Luchini.  Unfortunately, there’s no great depth to this film, no real emotional impact.  Whilst the film certainly isn’t dull, neither does it leave a lasting impression.  You can have some fun looking out for all the references to Molière’s plays, but overall the film is a disappointment.

© James Travers 2008

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