Romuald et Juliette (1989) - film review

Romuald Blindet, president of a major yoghurt producing company, hardly notices the quiet black woman, Juliette, who cleans his office each night.  When Juliette tells Romuald that he is being duped by two of his senior colleagues who are planning to take over his company he can hardly believe it – but the poor cleaning lady is right.  Thanks to Juliette’s intervention, Romuald manages to salvage his career, but when she wants his help to bail her son out of jail, he isn’t there to repay the debt he owes her.  When he discovers that his wife is having an affair with another of his colleagues, Romuald realises that there is only one woman for him: Juliette.  But does she feel the same way?  She has already been disappointed by five husbands…

Coline Serreau followed her box office hit Trois homes et un couffin (1985) with this charming romantic comedy which features an improbable romance against a backdrop of boardroom intrigue.  Whilst the plot is ludicrously contrived and is let down by some awful stereo-typical characterisation, it does have one significant plus point: the pairing of Daniel Auteuil with Firmine Richard.  This casting is a stroke of genius, both actors bringing more than a note of poignancy and humanity to what would otherwise have been a pretty routine comedy.  Amazingly, this was Firmine Richard’s first professional acting job, not that you would ever suspect as much.  Since, she has appeared in well over a dozen films, including Francois Ozon’s 8 femmes (2002).  Less conspicuously, two actors who have since acquired celebrity status also make their debuts in this film: José Garcia and Isabelle Carré.

© James Travers 2005

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