Mauvaise passe (1999)
Directed by Michel Blanc

Film Review

This film offers an amusing portrait of a man experiencing a mid-life crisis which propels him into a radically new lifestyle.  It was directed by Michel Blanc, who is better known a comic actor (most notably for his role in Patrice Leconte's 1989 film, Monsieur Hire), and stars popular French actor Daniel Auteuil, playing the kind of role he excels in.   Auteuil's sensitive portrayal of a man on the brink is engrossing and he has no difficulty taking the audience with him on his voyage of self-discovery.

Where the film falls down is that it often attempts to go after gritty realism without ever achieving it.  As a result, the dialogue sometimes sounds phoney, drama becomes melodrama, and the characterisation and flow of the story suffer.  The film's Gallic charm (which is evident even if most of the dialogue is in English) helps to compensate for this flaw.  Also, some nice comic touches nicely offset some of the film's darker moments and overall the film appears sophisticated and polished, albeit somewhat lacking in depth.

Film Synopsis

Bored with his humdrum middle-class existence, 40-something university lecturer Pierre walks out on his wife Catherine and his son and settles in London to begin work on his first novel.  One evening, whilst drowning his sorrows in a bar, two prostitutes try to attract his interest.  When he refuses to accept their trade, Pierre is beaten up by their pimp.  A young man, Tom, comes to his aid and they quickly strike up a rapport.  Tom, a café owner, reveals that he works for an escort agency and earns good money.  This revelation arouses Pierre's interest and, desperately in need of cash to pay his rent, he is easily persuaded into joining the same agency.  Pierre soon discovers a new lease of life through his work as a male prostitute, but as he becomes dangerously addicted to his new hedonistic life troubles soon begin to accumulate...