by Lisa Nystrom
Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
André Dussolier, Sabine Azema, Thierry Lhermite
Intro:
Sweetly tender and yet perfectly absurd…
After 5 happy decades of marriage and raising three children together, retired military general François (André Dussollier) celebrates his wedding anniversary with his wife Annie (Sabine Azéma).
Later, surrounded by old memories as he cleans out their attic, François unearths risqué love letters from 40 years ago between Annie and their close friend, Boris, and that perfect, happy picture he’d painted of his own life starts to fracture. As far as Annie’s concerned, this all happened years ago, she made her choice and there’s no point digging up the past. François on the other hand, is going to hunt Boris down and fight for his love, even if he breaks a hip doing it.
A delightful comedy, reminiscent of the kind of farce Doris Day and Rock Hudson might have delivered if they’d continued into their 70s. Sweetly tender and yet perfectly absurd, it’s a tale of jealousy between two people more than old enough to know better, lending a hint of excitement to what had previously been a steady marriage. Dussollier and Azéma are wonderful together, playing off one another with a natural chemistry. Throw in Thierry Lhermitte as the ex-lover Boris, and there’s a connection there that makes you wonder if three really is a crowd.
It’s a joy to see a swoon-worthy romance for an older audience, a reminder that love stories don’t have to stop at 29 like the average Hollywood romcom would have us believe. There’s a hidden layer of deep emotion beneath the hijinks too, once truths are aired and the family are forced to reassess how they all fit together now that their secrets are out. A frothy comedy of misunderstandings and miscommunication, proving love makes fools of us all no matter the age.
