The Merry Widow (2007)

Anne-Marie lives an easy life with Gilbert, a rich plastic surgeon: a beautiful house, a doggy, a cleaning lady, expensive furniture, the lot. Not so easy in fact when she thinks twice. She... See full summary »

Director:

Isabelle Mergault

Writers:

Isabelle Mergault, Isabelle Mergault (adaptation)

Stars:

Michèle Laroque, Jacques Gamblin, Wladimir Yordanoff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michèle Laroque	...	Anne-Marie
Jacques Gamblin	...	Léo
Wladimir Yordanoff	...	Gilbert
Tom Morton	...	Christophe
Valérie Mairesse	...	Nicole
Claire Nadeau	...	Viviane
Éva Darlan	...	Catherine (as Eva Darlan)
Caroline Raynaud	...	Alexia
Paul Crauchet	...	Gaby
Michel Lagueyrie	...	Michel
Choukri Gabteni	...	Saadi
Franck Pitiot	...	Maurice
Julien Cafaro	...	Pierrot
Agnès Boury	...	Madame Jobert
Tadrina Hocking	...	Brigitte

Storyline

Anne-Marie lives an easy life with Gilbert, a rich plastic surgeon: a beautiful house, a doggy, a cleaning lady, expensive furniture, the lot. Not so easy in fact when she thinks twice. She does not get on with her husband any longer. She gets on his nerves and he does not attract her any longer. She feels good only when she jogs on the beach and ... when she is the arms of her lover, Leo. One day, Gilbert gets killed in a car accident. Good news, since she will be able to live with Leo. The trouble is her well-meaning family settle at her villa with a view to supporting the "poor widow" morally. Anne-Marie just cannot admit she is not distressed at all, especially to her son Christophe. She is now even more of a prisoner than when Gilbert was alive...

---

Plot Keywords:

widow | plastic surgeon | car accident | unhappy marriage | mother son relationship | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Muriel Robin was considered for the role of Anne-Marie.

---

Connections

Referenced in Micmacs (2009)

---

Soundtracks

La Traviata
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
(1853)

User Reviews

Finally a funny comedy without pretence

An optimistic film with a morale. Nothing is out of tune in this movie starred by Michele Laroque and then, the rest. Jacques Gamblin gives one of his stellar appearances, a hardened loner that can speak poetically seemingly at all the right moments.

This film starts when most finish: we witness a solid love between a couple in their 40s. Another thing I like is that: am fed up of teenagers pretending to act when they can barely deliver lines :)!

"Il Mio refugio", the music accompanying the end titles, is the best chosen soundtrack: it gives the exact nuance of a film that doesn't pretend much, and though not shying away from showing us feelings, achieves a lot. Léo gets better lines, but "Moumousse" could show with her regard that she is in love even to somebody who never learnt any (verbal) language!

The hypocrisy of the sister in law, the fidelity but at the same time moral condemnation of the maid, and above all the leisurely times of a working class bar at ... (a coastal town, rather affluent) make this film a pleasure to the mind as well as to the senses. Her son, gullible but not devoid of dignity, is pivotal. Very well cast.

Great shots of this seaside town, makes you almost want to have lived there all your life. Shot in different tows of the "Var" (?) county, in France. Thanks IMDb, as usual, for their obsessive interest in film! What would we do without you!

It's no wonder this film was such a huge success.

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 January 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

The Merry Widow

Filming Locations:

Bandol, Var, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,872,698

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, CinéCinéma, F Comme Film

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1