The three films that Chabrol has made with a script by Caroline Eliacheff are some of the most soporific duds you'll ever see. La Cérémonie was pretty incoherent and dull, despite the splatter-fest at the end, Merci pour le chocolat wasted Isabelle Huppert's and Jacques Dutronc's considerable talents,and here is the latest--a mish-mash of incest, wartime collaboration scandals, and political satire (are municipal candidates really this cynical?). Chabrol still can't get away from savagely ripping into a bourgeoisie that gets feebler with every passing year.
I watched Nathalie Baye closely; she never broke out of a tired cynicism displayed with pursed mouth--in other words, she phoned in her performance. Benoit Magimel and Mélanie Doutey were fresh and very appealing as the young lovers, and Bernard Le Coq showed me once more that he is one of France's best actors. Suzanne Flon as Tante Line provided all the touching moments in the picture.
I watched Nathalie Baye closely; she never broke out of a tired cynicism displayed with pursed mouth--in other words, she phoned in her performance. Benoit Magimel and Mélanie Doutey were fresh and very appealing as the young lovers, and Bernard Le Coq showed me once more that he is one of France's best actors. Suzanne Flon as Tante Line provided all the touching moments in the picture.