Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier
In Happy retirement!, Thierry Lhermitte and Michèle Laroque play the typical couple, happy to retire and facing the reality of becoming nannies for their grandchildren. While the pitch is a nice one - and that's quite a compliment - the result, on the other hand, is more than a little lame. Here's a brief, no-holds-barred interpretation of a film to be avoided.
Michèle Laroque, in this film by Fabrice Bracq, plays Marilou, a dentist nearing retirement. She's looking forward to flying to Portugal the day her husband Philippe (Thierry Lhermitte) tells her he'll be able to take early retirement. It's her dream: to move to Portugal. Yes, you read me right. Her man - the weaker sex of our age, according to some - agrees. How else could she do it? Michèle Laroque, and therefore the character she broods over, is a knockout.
Except that things aren't going according to plan - in literary analysis, this is called the disruptive element. Their children don't see it that way: their plan is to have them look after their children. Nothing exceptional about that. And so, the public who have sacrificed their Monday evening expects to be surprised by the stratagems put in place by the director. But no, he didn't mind being original! It wasn't all he had to do. Too bad.
It seemed like a no-brainer: a simple script, good actors and you're done. Wrong! You also need good direction. That means not only a good director, but also good ideas in his head. So we'll pass. A great line from the beginning of the film: «No, we're not going to die in Portugal, we're going to leave for Portugal!» To leave is to die a little, they say. Well, in this case, the film dies before it leaves. You know what I mean.
Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Pathé Films
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