Ron Gilbert

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Potiche,
a film which entertains everyone

By
Ron Gilbert

Catherine Deneuve is the French equivalent of our
Elizabeth Taylor. She is an ageless beauty whom I first saw back in my college
days in “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”.
Then of course the film,” Belle du Jour” a few years later. She still seduces
us with a screen presence which has your eyes glued to the screen in her new
film. A star who doesn’t complain about not getting the roles like American actresses
in their 40’s and 50’s and she is 67 years old. So as we see Deneuve jogging in
the opening scenes we know that we are for an energetic treat.

Potiche, based on the play by Pierre Barillet and
Jean-Pierre Grédys, and directed by François Ozon, is set in 1977, and deals in
a way, I presume with the feminist movement in France, but with a lighthearted tone.
A French farce about a woman who takes over the umbrella factory run by her husband,
who is nasty and tyrannical with his workers. So he is taken hostage by his
striking employees.  Deneuve plays his trophy
wife, Suzanne Pujol, in one of her most appealing and sweetest roles in years. She
is forced to take over the reins of the family business started by her father and
proves to be a much better boss dealing with the striking workers.

Of
course, no French film would be complete without another one of my favorite
actors, as her former lover Maurice Babin (Gerard Depardieu), the communist
deputy who helps her put an end to the strike, and she gets the factory running
again and improves the employees working conditions. Deneuve charms everyone
but there are many plots and twists.

She
ends up managing the factory, instead of her husband, who is disowned by the
staff. So her husband, Robert (Fabrice Luchini), who is distressed and in poor
health, goes away for a while and Deneuve proves to be an assertive woman of action
which is a big surprise to everyone. But when her husband Robert returns from
his trip in good health, the situation gets complicated.

I
refuse to tell you the ending so you must see the movie and enjoy it like I did.

This
is definitely a chick flick but everyone male will enjoy it. So take your
girlfriend or wife out tonight and have a nice glass of wine before and
afterwards.

http://www.potichemovie.com/