Bertrand Blier is a director to whom one cannot be indifferent. Through the years his films have by turns tantalised, taunted, entertained and exasperated. His recurring theme of the power of Sex to raise one to the heights or drag one to the depths is never more relevant than in this tale of Daniela, a stunningly beautiful woman of the night and Francois, a shy, unprepossessing office worker with a dicky ticker. She has of course entertained clients of every age, shape and size and to her surprise he pushes all the right buttons. He awakens her domestic instincts but the other man in her life, Charly, who also happens to be her pimp, shows extreme reluctance to give her up.......
There is much to savour here as Blier's marvellous screenplay has twists and turns, subtle ironies and constant surprises. He has also created a colourful assortment of characters living their lives as best they can. Notable among these are Jean-Pierre Darroussin as a tragi-comic doctor and Farida Rahouadj as a neighbour who gives an hilarious demonstation of how a genuine orgasm should sound.
One has to play the game with the cards one is dealt and Monica Belluci has certainly been dealt a great hand! She is of course physically ideal as Daniela and Blier has drawn from her one of her best performances. She is perfectly complemented by Bernard Campan as Francois who confirms that one cannot judge a book by its cover. The casting of Gerard Depardieu as Charly is inspired. He and Blier have enjoyed a long and fruitful professional partnership to say the least and Depardieu has succeeded here in making a thoroughly unpleasant character somehow sympathetic.
Technically accomplished, aesthetically pleasing and a feast for the eyes this film is also a feast for the ears as Blier has chosen to use extracts from Italian opera. The final scene of domestic bliss between Daniela and Francois acted to the strains of Puccini is certain to melt the hearts of even the most cynical among us.
There is much to savour here as Blier's marvellous screenplay has twists and turns, subtle ironies and constant surprises. He has also created a colourful assortment of characters living their lives as best they can. Notable among these are Jean-Pierre Darroussin as a tragi-comic doctor and Farida Rahouadj as a neighbour who gives an hilarious demonstation of how a genuine orgasm should sound.
One has to play the game with the cards one is dealt and Monica Belluci has certainly been dealt a great hand! She is of course physically ideal as Daniela and Blier has drawn from her one of her best performances. She is perfectly complemented by Bernard Campan as Francois who confirms that one cannot judge a book by its cover. The casting of Gerard Depardieu as Charly is inspired. He and Blier have enjoyed a long and fruitful professional partnership to say the least and Depardieu has succeeded here in making a thoroughly unpleasant character somehow sympathetic.
Technically accomplished, aesthetically pleasing and a feast for the eyes this film is also a feast for the ears as Blier has chosen to use extracts from Italian opera. The final scene of domestic bliss between Daniela and Francois acted to the strains of Puccini is certain to melt the hearts of even the most cynical among us.