Film Review
After having established herself as a popular and talented actress (probably best known for
her role in the 1993 film
Les Visiteurs)
Valérie Lemercier turned to directing
with this entertaining light comedy, in which she also, as you might expect, takes the lead
role. It is a film in the 'quest' line in which the heroine Frédérique's search for
her missing father turns into a search for her own identity.
In her dual quest, Frédérique
must undergo a frantic series of changes of identity, alternating between an attractive
young woman and a camp young man, in her attempt to please her father and her boyfriend.
Le Derrière intelligently reveals the folly of traditional prejudices towards gay men, and
also towards women, and manages to end with a convincing albeit trite finale (Frédérique's
own show-stopping 'coming-out' session) which basically says people should always be what
they are and not try to be something they are not. It's a pretty hackneyed punchline,
but Lemercier just about gets away with it.
Although this is a fair directoral debut for Lemercier, the film is not without its faults.
The comedy, whilst natural and quite amusing in places, often feels contrived and stale.
Some of the stereotypes are just a little too familiar and some of the jokes too hackneyed
(the socks down the underpants gag, for example). Claude Rich
and Dieudonné (a popular comic performer who later fell from grace on account of
his outspoken racial views) make the unlikeliest couple imaginable but
their sympathetic performances help to compensate for the abundant script shortcomings.
Le Derrière is somewhat let down by its apparent lack of
direction and a weak ending but, for all that, it makes an entertaining divertissement.
Lemercier would achieve better results with her next directorial offering,
Palais royal! (2005).
© James Travers 2001
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Valérie Lemercier film:
Palais royal! (2005)
Film Synopsis
After the death of her mother, Frédérique resolves to find her father, whom
she has never met. She discovers the identity of her father on the back of an old
photograph and sets out for Paris where he now lives. She is staying with some gay
friends when she is persuaded to dress up as a gay man so that she can accompany them
to a gay club. Frédérique later uses the same disguise when she discovers
that her father is gay and is living with a younger, black man, hoping that her father
will be more likely to accept a lost gay son than a lost straight daughter. To complicate
matters, Frédérique is simultaneously dating her boyfriend...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.