Potiche (loosely translated as "trophy" or "trophy wife") is a wonderfully wacky French comedy starring two legends of French cinema: Gerard Depardieu, and the lovely Catherine Deneuve. The film takes place in the colorful world of 1977--a time of revolutions, for women and union workers. Deneuve plays Suzanne Pujol, an upper-class woman of leisure and much-obliging trophy housewife to the condescending Robert, who runs the umbrella factory Suzanne's father owned before he passed away. Suzanne seems contented in her life of luxury: she jogs in the morning, lets the "help" do all the cooking and housework, and spontaneously writes poems in a little notebook she carries at all times. She even humors her gruff, sexist husband ("Well, in my opinion...", she says, to which he barks, "Opinion? What opinion!?").
But Suzanne is about to "come down from the shelf", as the movie's tagline alludes. After Robert is held hostage by strikers at the factory, Suzanne must go to the mayor, Maurice Babin (Depardieu) to negotiate her husband's release. Not only is Babin and old enemy of Robert's, he's also Suzanne's one-time lover from long ago ("I'm no longer a hot-blooded truck driver", he sighs).
But once Robert is released, he suffers a heart attack that forces him to stay in bed and away from the factory. Babin encourages Suzanne to act as the factory's temporary leader, to the shock of her husband and children who believe she is not fit for the job.
The main issue I had with Potiche is that it meandered a lot. It didn't have a clear, concise plot arc. The final 20-30 minutes seemed like they belonged to an entirely different film. I suppose you could argue that this makes the film more realistic, in that life doesn't always follow a linear path...but I don't think Potiche was aiming for realism. I think it was aiming for farce. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what tone the filmmakers were going for. I can say that the film is lighthearted, despite serious topics (women's lib, adultery, heart attacks...oh my!). But even though it was a comedy, and there were certainly some pretty funny moments, it wasn't exactly gut-busting either. The most fitting adjective I can think of to describe Potiche is pleasant. I had a good time, but I left the theatre thinking more about what I wanted for dinner than about the movie itself.
Still, the film is quick-witted, colorful, and filled with great performances all around. Definitely worth a slot of your Netflix queue.
3.5 out of 5 stars
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