Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

How to Be a Good Wife

Original title: La bonne épouse
  • 2020
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
How to Be a Good Wife (2020)
Watch Bande-annonce [OV]
Play trailer1:46
2 Videos
23 Photos
ComedyDrama

Paulette and her husband have been running a housekeeping school. After the sudden death of her husband, Paulette discovers that the school is on the verge of bankruptcy and has to take her ... Read allPaulette and her husband have been running a housekeeping school. After the sudden death of her husband, Paulette discovers that the school is on the verge of bankruptcy and has to take her responsibilities.Paulette and her husband have been running a housekeeping school. After the sudden death of her husband, Paulette discovers that the school is on the verge of bankruptcy and has to take her responsibilities.

  • Director
    • Martin Provost
  • Writers
    • Martin Provost
    • Séverine Werba
  • Stars
    • Juliette Binoche
    • Yolande Moreau
    • Noémie Lvovsky
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Martin Provost
    • Writers
      • Martin Provost
      • Séverine Werba
    • Stars
      • Juliette Binoche
      • Yolande Moreau
      • Noémie Lvovsky
    • 18User reviews
    • 32Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos2

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 1:46
    Bande-annonce [OV]
    How to Be a Good Wife
    Trailer 1:46
    How to Be a Good Wife
    How to Be a Good Wife
    Trailer 1:46
    How to Be a Good Wife

    Photos22

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 17
    View Poster

    Top cast35

    Edit
    Juliette Binoche
    Juliette Binoche
    • Paulette Van der Beck
    Yolande Moreau
    Yolande Moreau
    • Gilberte Van der Beck
    Noémie Lvovsky
    Noémie Lvovsky
    • Marie-Thérèse
    Edouard Baer
    Edouard Baer
    • André Grunvald
    François Berléand
    François Berléand
    • Robert Van der Beck
    Marie Zabukovec
    • Annie Fuchs
    Anamaria Vartolomei
    Anamaria Vartolomei
    • Albane Des-deux-Ponts
    Lily Taieb
    • Yvette Ziegler
    Pauline Briand
    • Corinne Schwartz
    Armelle
    • Christiane Rougemont
    Marine Berlanger
    • Elève du pensionnat
    Clémence Blondeau
    • Elève du pensionnat
    Marie Cornillon
    Marie Cornillon
    • Elève du pensionnat
    Lauren Deguitre
    • Elève du pensionnat
    Clémentine Delange
    • Elève du pensionnat
    Juliet Doucet
    • Elève du pensionnat
    Suzanne-Marie Gabriel
    • Elève du pensionnat
    • (as Suzanne-Marie Gabriell)
    Élise Girard
    • Elève du pensionnat
    • Director
      • Martin Provost
    • Writers
      • Martin Provost
      • Séverine Werba
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews18

    5.72.3K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    3oscarmichel-25492

    Hmmm?

    Set in an interesting time of the French history, that must be the only interesting part of the story. Actors are okay but the message is ridiculous.
    6vexter

    Too bad about the ending

    It's a lovely whimsical comedy up until the last 5 or 10 minutes. The ending came off as too heavyhanded and forced and like the screenwriter ran out of ideas.
    8lizarmstrong-60293

    Juliette Binoche is brilliant!

    This film is purely meant to entertain, and that it does! While it won't be winning any Oscars this year, it will certainly bring a smile to your face! One of Juliette Binoche's most interesting roles in recent years. Take a chance on this one! You won't regret it.
    7esteban1747

    Instructions for servility

    French comedy, funny at times, which delves into the conventional precepts as lessons for young girls aspiring to marry and be good wives. Teaching center was located in Alsace, territory recovered by France from Germany. The study material and classes were very typical of a feudal regime; nothing to do with the moments lived between 1967 and 1968, date in which the film is fitted. This conservative instruction still prevails in the minds of many people of older generations and even of those who miss absolute monarchies. Within all that doctrine, if it can be called that, it is taboo to talk about divorce, abortion, women's liberation, much less homosexuality. Girls didn't even know what was a masturbation. What matters is that those women learn well to understand her husband, his needs and his concerns. The merit of the movie was to show how harmful were those conservative postulates, and how the world evolves and brought about new attitudes. The film elapses during 1967 and 1968 when youth protests occurred in France and Italy, which they did not achieve their objective of seizing power, but had an enormous influence on the behavior of the new generations from that moment and henceforth, with more liberalism and less prejudice.
    9privetas-865-961186

    La comedie in a French style

    Cheerful. Emotional. Cheerful. Dumb. Cheerful. French. I enjoyed a lot. Maybe a little bit over feminist and over musical ending. But still recommended as a good mood movie.

    More like this

    Madeleine Collins
    6.2
    Madeleine Collins
    Irreplaceable
    6.5
    Irreplaceable
    Rolling to You
    6.5
    Rolling to You
    Two Tickets to Greece
    6.1
    Two Tickets to Greece
    A Good Doctor
    6.5
    A Good Doctor
    Just Kids
    5.8
    Just Kids
    Camille Rewinds
    6.3
    Camille Rewinds
    The Midwife
    6.7
    The Midwife
    Final Set
    6.5
    Final Set
    Je ne me laisserai plus faire
    6.9
    Je ne me laisserai plus faire
    Tanguy
    6.4
    Tanguy
    70 Big Ones
    5.9
    70 Big Ones

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Some time after Robert's death, beginning of 1968, the girls listen to the radio and can hear the song Siffler sur la colline by Joe Dassin, released in 1969.
    • Soundtracks
      Tombe la Neige
      Written by Salvatore Adamo

      Performed by Salvatore Adamo

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ16

    • How long is How to Be a Good Wife?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 11, 2020 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Belgium
    • Official sites
      • Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite
      • Les Films du Kiosque (France)
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Школа хороших дружин
    • Filming locations
      • Bergheim, Haut-Rhin, France(village, city walls, Fuchs café: Rue de la Poudrière)
    • Production companies
      • Les Films du Kiosque
      • France 3 Cinéma
      • Orange Studio
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €6,280,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,033,430
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    How to Be a Good Wife (2020)
    Top Gap
    By what name was How to Be a Good Wife (2020) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.