Ma femme s'appelle reviens (1982)
Directed by Patrice Leconte

Film Review

This bittersweet romantic comedy from director Patrice Leconte would be easily forgotten were it not for the contributions from its two lead actors.  Michel Blanc and Anémone have a great on-screen rapport and bring both pathos and humour to their portrayals of two lovelorn individuals.  Blanc featured in Leconte's previous hit ( Les Bronzés, 1978) and went on to enjoy a hugely successful career as both an actor and director.   Likewise Anémone's career flourished after this film, becoming a popular and highly regarded actress.   Whilst this film lacks the depth and maturity of Leconte's later and better-known work, and is certainly much lighter, it casts a wry eye over an easily recognisable human situation with poignancy and some well-judged comedy.

Film Synopsis

Bernard finds himself teetering on the brink of a mid-life crisis when the woman he has been married to for five years suddenly walks out on him.  Determined to make a fresh start, he gets himself a new apartment in a block of flats reserved for single men and women and works nights for SOS Médecins.  Meanwhile, his friend Philippe does his best to help him restart his social life.  In the course of his work, Bernard gets to meet an attractive teenager, Anna, but, just in time, it occurs to him that he is old enough to be her father.

If Bernard is having a hard time, his neighbour Nadine is finding things even more difficult to cope with.  Since her boyfriend Terry dumped her she has gone from one disastrous relationship to another, and she is now left wondering whether she can trust another man ever again.  Bernard and Nadine are two of a kind - both unhappy in love, both desperate to get out of their present emotional impasse.  It seems natural that they should hit it off and become good friends, but when this friendship develops into something deeper are they really in love or are they just heading for yet another disappointment?