Laissons Lucie faire! (2000) Directed by Emmanuel Mouret
Comedy / Romance
Film Review
This charming romantic comedy marks a promising directoral debut for Emmanuel Mouret,
who also wrote the script and starred in the film. Although the plot lacks credibility
in a few places (the absurdity of the secret agent subplot comes close to undermining
the entire film), it is an uplifting little piece of cinema with some genuinely funny
moments. There is also a gentle tenderness and humanity which often gets lost in
such films. At a time when gritty realism and angst-ridden drama appear to have
become the norm in French cinema, it is a joy to watch a film which takes a sunnier view
of life. Vive la diversité!
Marie Gillain is delightful as the film's principal
heroine (making us wish we saw more of her than we do in this kind of film), whilst Emmanuel
Mouret, with his uncanny resemblance to that comic giant Fernandel, gives great entertainment
value as the terminally useless Lucien. The film relies heavily on its two lead
actors and the fact that it works so well is down mainly to the talent of these two performers.
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Film Synopsis
In sunny Marseille, twenty-something Lucie makes a living by selling bathing
costumes to tourists on the beach. Her boyfriend, Lucien, fancies himself
as a policeman, but when he is turned down for the job he does the only thing
he can do, which is to get himself hired as a secret agent. Well, he
has the perfect disguise - no one would ever mistake him for James Bond.
Lucie and Lucien have been together for ten years but it looks as if they
might be drifting inexorably apart. Her romantic needs far from satisfied,
Lucie has begun to have lurid fantasies about another man, whilst Lucien
finds himself suddenly embroiled in an affair with an American woman.
It is clear that both Lucie and Lucien are inexperienced in the ways of love
and are in desperate need of professional guidance. This they find
when Lucie happens upon a book about the psychology of love. Fascinated
by what she reads, the young woman decides to put it into practice without
delay. Poor Lucien...
Cast: Marie Gillain (Lucie),
Emmanuel Mouret (Lucien),
Dolores Chaplin (Jennifer),
Georges Neri (Le père de Lucien),
Arnaud Simon (Bernard Sixe),
Natalia Romanenko (Natacha),
Delphine Zentout (Delphine),
Frédéric Niedermayer (Paul),
Anne Donioul (La colonel),
Patrick Palmeto (Professeur Petrus),
David Barris (Le faux Paul),
Danielle Stefan (La voisine),
Maurice Trouin (Le voisin),
Michel Panier (L'ami de Prudence),
Marie Piémontèse (La pharmacienne),
Raphaël Barraqué,
Lydie Belmonte,
Christine Bezault,
Hervé Caffin,
Laurent Casanova
Country: France
Language: French / English / Russian
Support: Color
Runtime: 91 min
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