FRENCH TWIST
(GAZON MAUDIT)
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
FRENCH TWIST (GAZON MAUDIT) is a farcical romantic comedy with a strong sexual content. It is a French film that was a smash hit when it was released there. The failing of the picture is that there are three likable characters and actors in search of a decent script, and director too for that matter.
Laurent (Alain Chabat) is a strikingly handsome playboy in his late twenties. He is married to a gorgeous wife Loli, (Victoria Abril), also in her late twenties. They have two darling children, aged 1 and 4. The kids are adorable and sweet as can be, and their parents either ignore them or get irritated at them, but then again, this is a film about a couple who doesn't pay enough attention to their kids to deserve them.
Laurent chases every young skirt that goes by, but his naive wife thinks he has only cheated just once, and she forgave him. Into their life comes a lesbian named Marijo and played by Josiane Balasko, who is also the director and cowriter. Marijo's van breaks down, and she comes in and fixes Loli's plumbing and then stays for dinner. Forty year old Marijo has the looks of a fullback and is so harsh at first that it seems she is trying to turn off the audience. Thankfully, her harshness soon wears off, and she becomes as compelling a character as the other two.
Loli gets disgusted with Laurent's spending evenings out and ignoring her when he returns claiming he is too tired - the male equivalent of having a headache. Eventually Loli finds out about his massive philandering and decides that Marijo's advances, which she has been rejecting, now look quite enticing so they start having an affair. When Laurent finds out, he does the macho thing and punches Marijo in the nose. He and his obnoxious male buddy sit around during this part of the show and mouth homophobic cliches. Soon, however, Loli, Lauren, and Marijo form a menage a trois. They live under the same roof, and Loli shares time with the other two under a precisely agreed upon timetable. Now arriving at track two, ...
As well constructed and well acted as the characters are, the script by Patrick Aubree and Josiane Balasko, based on a story by Telshe Boorman, is a mess. The minor character need development, there is no discernible plot, and there are many needless scenes. Among the worse is a pointless one of Lauren going to a red light district and finding a prostitute that is over sixty. The director is of no help in sorting out the plot for the actors, and they seem aimless most of the time.
FRENCH TWIST runs 1:45 and would be better if was trimmer. The movie is in French with English subtitles. The film is correctly rated R for a little violence, lots of quite natural nudity, some sex, several scenes of dope smoking, and filthy language in every other sentence. Large numbers of bad words are usually a giveaway that the writer is out of ideas. FRENCH TWIST is a movie that grows on you. Unfortunately, it did not grow on me quite enough for me to recommend it. I did like the three main actors, and I hope to see all of them again but with a better script so I am giving the film **.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: April 9, 1996
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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