Opposites collide to humorous effect in Anne Fontaine’s satire of the Parisian bourgeoisie. Agathe (Isabelle Huppert) is a demanding, uptight gallerist whose partner François (André Dussolier) works in publishing. When a boorish Belgian named Patrick (Benoît Poelvoorde) is hired to do a remodeling job for them, he manages, through numerous amusing circumstances, to thaw Agathe out a bit and show François the pleasures of playing the romantic field. It’s a delight to watch Huppert poking fun at the type of character she often plays in serious dramas and she has a tangible rapport with Poelvoorde. Throughout, Fontaine cleverly shows that, while people of different temperaments might attract for a while, whether such relationships can last is a different question entirely.


Written by Anne Fontaine, Nicolas Mercier, Photographed by Jean-Marc Fabre. With Isabelle Huppert, Benoît Poelvoorde, André Dussolier (103 min, In French with subtitles, Strand Releasing).