Film: Potiche (Trophy Wife)
Cast includes: Catherine Deneuve (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Last Metro), Gérald Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac), Fabrice Luchini (Beaumarchais the Scoundrel), Karin Vigard (Time Out), Judith Godreche (The Man in the Iron Mask), Jérémie Renier (L’enfant)
Director: Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool)
Genre: Comedy/Farce/Social Trends (2010) French with subtitles
In brief: Suzanne Pujol is just a trophy wife. Her kids are grown and her husband, Robert, is never home. He runs the company Suzanne’s father started years ago. “You think it’s fun running an umbrella factory with 300 employees?” And lately things are even worse… the union is planning a strike. At least the kids remember Suzanne’s birthday. Daughter Joëlle is thinking about getting a divorce. “The last thing I want is to end up like you,” she tells her mom. When Robert is taken hostage by striking workers, his assistant (also mistress) alerts the family. Son Laurent tries to help but fails… not because of the striking workers but because of his father. “Get lost you bloody idiot!” No wonder the kids aren’t interested in the family business.
When Suzanne gets involved, she drives right past the factory directly to the home of a local politician and former lover. With his help, Robert is released and negotiations are planned to address the grievances. But Robert’s having a heart attack and has to take time off. Once again Suzanne has to step in… just to keep a lid on things until Robert gets back. This is 1977 and the concept of Suzanne actually doing anything meaningful at the factory is just ridiculous. Does Suzanne take charge like a man? Not at all. In fact, she agrees with the union that Workshop 4 needs toilets for the workers. By the time Robert comes back, things are very different. The black sign is red, and the whole place is friendlier.
Suzanne is no longer content to be a trophy wife, and Robert can’t recognize a good thing when he sees it. There have been a lot of movies about feminists, but this one is very different from most. Catherine Deneuve as Suzanne seems more worried about her hair than her power. She has her own way of getting things done. The filmmakers have done a wonderful job of capturing the flavor of the late 1970s… the good, the bad and the stylistically weird. While the film looks at an important social issue, it does it with good-natured fun. Although Robert is not above using underhanded tactics for getting what he wants, we soon learn that Suzanne’s a fast learner. She’s got a few tactics and surprises of her own.
3 popped kernels
Quirky, funny, melodramatic and farcical trip back to pre-feminism
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Upbeat
Tempo: Cruses comfortably
Visual Style: Slightly varnished realism
Character development: Engaging
Language: French
Social Significance: Timely topic
