Alexandra Leclere is clearly going to become yet another French female director to reckon with; she followed the Short Bouche a bouche with the full-length Les Soeurs fachees for which she secured the services of Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Frot and Francois Berleand and did them all proud with a fine light comedy. For her second full-length entry she has cast Nathalie Baye and Christian Clavier - who knows a thing or two about writing and directing himself if anyone asks you - as an affluent husband and wife, complemented by Gerard Lanvin and Geraldine Pailhas as their working-class - Lanvin is Clavier's chauffeur, Pailhas a shop assistant - counterparts. It turns out that both husbands have the same problem; neither is getting any. Clavier's immediate solution is to withdraw Baye's Gold Credit Card but all that buys him is a reluctant statue. The two men bond after a fashion and Clavier moves into the front seat, takes Lanvin to five-star restaurants for lunch and invites the chauffeur and his wife to dinner without informing Baye. There's a lot of product placement going on which helps enhance the values that Baye lives by (sorry about that); Ferragamo and Dior are both shown via their bags and also the establishments whilst Pailhas is a salesperson at Galleries Lafeyette - when Baye is browsing there Pailhas accosts her and they play a long scene outside a sign saying Galleries Lafzyette Staff Entrance whilst for good measure Pailhas has the store's logo on her uniform. Another fine actor, Patrick Chesnais also turns up around the middle as 'other man' material for Baye and it all ends happily as films of this sort should do. A worthy successor to Les Soeurs fachees and highly recommend.
Review of Le prix à payer
