Vas-y maman (1978)

Vas-y maman is a French film comedy first released in 1978, directed by Nicole de Buron.  The film stars Annie Girardot, Pierre Mondy, Nicole Calfan, Claude Piéplu and Myriam Boyer.  It has also been released under the title: Take It from the Top.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Fed up with being taken for granted by her husband and children, housewife and mother of two Annie Larcher gets herself a job as a receptionist in a maternity clinic.  When it becomes clear that husband Jean-Pierre cannot cope without a woman about the house, Annie gives up her job and instead decides to start a career as a writer.  Her first novel turns out to be a bestseller – but this only further widens the rift between herself and her husband...

Popular actress Annie Girardot gives an ebullient performance in this lively mix of social satire and farce, a light-hearted take on women’s lib at the time when feminist movement was at its height.  It is surprising how relevant much of the film still is, thirty years on, suggesting that female equality in the workplace and at home still has a long way to go.  Although the narrative suffers from a lack of cohesion towards the end and some of the visual jokes are little silly, this is an engaging comedy with plenty of good laughs, courtesy of a very talented cast.

© James Travers 2007

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