Les parapluies de change

Potiche

Crit

OK, I've now seen a movie open with Catherine Deneuve jogging. That scene evolves into a nature scene from a Disney animated feature--if Disney had shown rabbits humping. I only wish that after that I had had as much fun as Deneuve, but I'm afraid I just don't get why you'd make a film in 2010 that's not just set in 1977 but seems to have been made then, complete with bad music (I've also now seen Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu dancing at a disco; I didn't know whether to laugh or weep) and clumsy feminism (the title is slang for "trophy wife"). In fact, it almost feels like late-'70s TV--you expect the laugh track to kick in at any moment. The stars ensure that it's not altogether without charm, but even a French comedy needs more than charm, or at least more than a little charm.