Film Review
Philippe Le Guay's follow-up to his popular comedy
Les Femmes du 6e étage
(2011) allows him yet another occasion to exploit Fabrice Luchini's
comedic potential, in a role that fits him so perfectly you can't help
thinking it is meant as a (slightly tongue-in-cheek)
self-portrait. Molière's mid-17th century play
Le Misanthrope provides the
starting point for a culture-clash comedy which sees a cantankerous old
actor of the old school (Luchini) being dragged reluctantly back into
the spotlight by a self-promoting TV celebrity (Lambert Wilson).
The problem is that Luchini's character is so misanthropically minded
that he appears impervious to Wilson's cajolery and he resists like a
stubborn mule, until Molière's acid-edged verse finally begins
to work its magic. Even then, the fireworks show has some way to
run, as the two actors become rivals in love for the same woman (cue an
obvious homage to Truffaut's
Jules
et Jim...)
In contrast to Le Guay's previous film, which tapped into wider social
concerns and consequently had more substance to it,
Alceste à bicyclette feels a
little too parochial and nombrilistic to have mainstream appeal.
Why should we care about its protagonists, two unsympathetic actors
with egos bigger than the Eiffel Tower? Given its fairly ropey
premise, the film works better than you might think, partly because it
allows Fabrice Luchini to do what he obviously enjoys most, which is to
go way over the top when the occasion rises. The two lead actors
spar off one another superbly and it is to the film's detriment that Le
Gauy had to throw in a load of far less interesting secondary
characters, who merely provide an unwelcome distraction from the main
attraction, the enjoyable Luchini-Wilson double act.
Had this been a two-handed comedy, with a little more character depth
and a little less in the way of juvenile slapstick, this could have
been something special. As it is, a lively middlebrow comedy
attractively shot in one of the most picturesque regions of France (the
Island of Ré),
Alceste
à bicyclette is an entertaining diversion, but nothing
more. Fans of Molière will doubtless love it (particularly
as Luchini handles the text with such relish, devouring it like a bon
vivant at a banquet); those who are not quite so enamoured of 17th
century French drama may feel somewhat intimidated. For the
uninitiated, it is as good an introduction to the work of France's most
famous playwright as any other, perhaps the best attempt to popularise
Molière in cinema since Louis de Funès'
L'Avare
(1980) (but not quite as funny).
© James Travers 2013
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Next Philippe Le Guay film:
Floride (2015)
Film Synopsis
Serge Tanneur is a renowned actor who, having reached the summit of his profession,
decides to bow out and enjoy a long and quiet retirement at a remote house
on the island of Ré. He enjoys three years of peace and anonymity
before Gauthier Valence, a self-promoting celebrity, shows up on the island
with the intention of getting him to play the lead role in a new production
of Molière's
Le Misanthrope. Gauthier is convinced the
part would suit Serge perfectly, particularly as he has been living the life
of the hermit for the past few years and seems to loathe the company of others.
Serge is initially reluctant to take Gauthier's proposal seriously but gradually
he starts to come round to the idea. As he mulls the matter over, he
invites the other actor to help him rehearse a key scene from the play...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.