Ma femme est une actrice (2001)

Director:

Yvan Attal

Writer:

Yvan Attal (writer)

Release Date:

14 November 2001 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A "normal" guy who is married to a hot actress gets worried that she is involved with her costar. This worry turns into jealousy and causes problems in their relationship. This is a story about trust and a comedy about the actions between men and women.

Plot Keywords:

Sports Writer | Bar | Jealousy | Restaurant | Autograph

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Charlotte
Yvan Attal	...	Yvan
Terence Stamp	...	John
Noémie Lvovsky	...	Nathalie
Laurent Bateau	...	Vincent
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Géraldine
Lionel Abelanski	...	Georges
Keith Allen	...	David, the film director
Jo McInnes	...	David's assistant
Valérie Leboutte	...	Young sexy girl
Annette Hazanavicius	...	Yvan's mother
Jean Abelanski	...	Yvan's father
Marie Denarnaud	...	Colette
Jean-Rachid	...	Blaise (as Jean Rachid)
Céline Cuignet	...	Lisette

Also Known As:

My Wife Is an Actress (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and nudity/sexuality.

Runtime:

95 min | Argentina:93 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Spain:T | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Canal+

Movie Connections:

References Se qing nan nu (1996)

Soundtrack:

London Calling

Very Amusing Take on Egos and Jealousies in the Movies

"My Wife is an Actress" shocked me before I went to the theater: my husband wanted to see it! That hasn't happened with a chick flick since "Legally Blonde." I thought there was a Pretty Woman involved, but he protested, "What, you don't think I read reviews?" I plead the fifth on that one.

"Ma femme est une actress "is, probably coincidentally, a comic take on a British furor over last year's "Intimacy," where a husband/journalist spoke out on not being jealous, well, not really jealous, when his wife/actress films explicit sex scenes in a serious movie. Here, writer/director/star Yvan Attal (as "Yvan," an adorable sports reporter, who manages to be a guy's guy without being obnoxiously macho about it) plays out the same situation with his real-life wife Charlotte Gainsbourg (as "Charlotte", with irresistible charm and equanimity).

While the film isn't just from Yvan's point of view, we certainly do see the difficulties of living with a Famous Person. He's grounded in real life by his comic relief Jewish sister and gentile brother-in-law whose arguing over their impending child gets annoying after awhile and starts raising some stereotype hackles by the end, though is still amusing.

Even as Yvan descends into jealousy as he tries to delve into the psyche of actors, the comic tone is deftly kept up, especially as Charlotte deals with both him and her lecherously attractive co-star, the ever smooth Terence Stamp (with a particularly funny take on filming nude love scenes amidst a large crew).

So here's another chick flick from a guy's viewpoint that can work.

(originally written 8/11/2002)