Director: Philippe de Broca
Year: 1978
Country: France
Rating: 7.5
Aka -
Tendres Poulet
This romance is delightful, breezy and very
French. It is also a police procedural with four brutal murders. That may
strike one as contradictory, but it works well. The murders are almost used
as complications and barriers in the way of true love. It makes for a fast
moving, quirky and smart film that will make you wish you were sitting at
a cafe in Paris with a carafe of wine at your table and a plate of mussels
watching the world go by. Playing the two romantic leads are the beloved
bearded and slightly paunchy Phillipe Noiret and the spunky Annie Giradot.
Their chemistry is as comfortable as a day in bed watching your favorite
movies.
This is not young passionate romance, but
that of two middle aged people nearly surprised that they are unexpectedly
falling in love at this stage in their life. A gift. It begins with Giradot
nearly running over Noiret on his bicycle. After apologies and amenities
are made, they trade numbers. And then eventually realize that 20-years before
they had a quick fling. They are ready for another one. But every time they
are together, she has to go rushing off with no explanation. He is befuddled.
It is because she is a police inspector
on a high profile murder case, but she doesn't want him to know what she
does because it is a turn-off for men. And his mocking the police doesn't
help. It becomes amusing as she tries to hide this as members of the National
Assembly keep getting murdered publicly with a knife in their back. As she
bounces back and forth between questioning witnesses and suspects and keeping
the romance alive, it gets hectic and amusing - and the men she commands
just look on with amusement and understanding. It is afterall love. It is
Paris. There will always be murders, but not love. Directed by Philippe de
Broca.
