Mademoiselle (2001)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Philippe Lioret

Writers:

Emmanuel Courcol (writer)
Philippe Lioret (writer)

Release Date:

21 March 2001 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Food | Husband Wife Relationship | Unfaithfulness | Mime | One Night Stand

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Claire Canselier
Jacques Gamblin	...	Pierre Cassini
Isabelle Candelier	...	Alice Cohen
Zinedine Soualem	...	Karim Coutard
Jacques Boudet	...	Gilbert Frémont
Patrick Mercado	...	Nounours
Philippe Beglia	...	Philippe Carioux
Maryvonne Schiltz	...	Elisabeth Carioux
Gérard Lartigau	...	Henri Blasco
Blandine Pélissier	...	La pharmacienne
Olivier Cruveiller	...	Villeval
Alain Cauchi	...	Granier
Pierre-Jean Chérer	...	Beaulieu
Emmanuel Courcol	...	Arthuis
Olga Grumberg	...	Louise

Runtime:

85 min | Colombia:76 min | Netherlands:94 min (DVD version)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Iceland:12 | Australia:G (cable rating) | Australia:M (original rating) | Finland:S | France:U | Philippines:PG-13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Alicéléo

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: After Pierre rents a new hotel room and asks for the car keys in order to take Claire to the railway station the next morning, a microphone is clearly visible above his head.

A romantic comedy;but not much comedy and very little romance

It's a pleasant little film, but not terribly exciting. I kept watching it however because of Claire ( Sandrine Bonnaire). She has a lovely face that exudes happiness. Hers is one of the few happy faces in the film. And just listen to her laugh. It's beautiful.

She leads a comfortable life but an uninspiring one until she meets a writer who also does some acting with "The Impromptu Group", a small band of actors who provide lively entertainment of a rather unusual nature at functions such as weddings receptions. I was quite taken in by the commotion at the cocktail party where casual staff were dismissed on the spot because of misbehaviour. The stage presentation which follows later and where the truth of the matter is revealed falls rather flat in my opinion. I couldn't raise a laugh despite the general applause.

The script has a few weaknesses. When Claire meets a stranger Pierre (Jacques Gambin) in a pharmacy, she admits she knows very little about the variety of shaving creams e.g. standard, gel etc. Yet she is appointed to a responsible position as sales representative for pharmaceuticals in the SW district of France. Obviously she needs to brush up on her own promotional literature.

This stranger who happens to be a writer of plays shows little emotion as he falls in love with Claire. I am not sure what Claire sees in this rather inert character who seems to have a perpetual chip on his shoulder. Claire seems to be fascinated by the ease with which he improvises and creates dramatic situations through insinuation and false gossip. Undoubtedly Claire's past life has lacked a lot of excitement.

The story is told in a single flash-back. Claire , a married woman with two children ponders over her unexpected meeting with Pierre when she discovers his play is being presented at a theatre in Toulouse. Her one night fling with this married man reminds me in some small way with Noel Coward's "Brief Encounter" a play which is uppermost in my mind after so many years. As for "Mademoiselle". I am afraid she will soon be forgotten.