CLAUDE ZIDI
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB.5.
France, 1989. DD Productions, Films 7, Orly Films, Sédif Productions, TF1 Films Production. Story by Claude Zidi, Screenplay by Claude Zidi, Catherine Rihoit, Charles Trieschmann. Cinematography by Jean-Jacques Tarbes. Produced by Gerard Depardieu, Madeleine Morgenstern, Danielle Vannier, Claude Zidi. Music by Jean-Claude Petit. Production Design by Michel de Broin. Costume Design by Hortense Guillemard. Film Editing by Nicole Saunier.
The manager of a famous composer (Gerard Depardieu) hires a real estate agent (Maruschka Detmers) to help him find a new house. After seeing a few homes together they realize an irresistible attraction between them that leads to doing more than just viewing the bedrooms she’s trying to sell. After cooling off from their physicality, they decide they’re in love, become engaged and spend the months afterwards getting to know each other which, as it turns out, isn’t necessarily a good thing. A routine plot and some melodramatic twists at the end that strain credibility are made passable by two very strong performances in the leads, both of whom are highly charismatic enough to carry the picture (though their chemistry is also not highly impressive). François Cluzet has a small part as Depardieu’s star client.