Film review ‘Coup de Chance’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’

In the last decade or so, Woody Allen has attempted to prove wrong Mia Farrow’s character from his film Husbands and Wives and show he can survive off the Island of Manhattan for more than 48 hours by making films in European cities.  In his latest effort, Coup de Chance, Woody goes a step further and expunges even more traces of America by having a crack at middle-brow French arthouse cinema.  While this romance/ thriller is engaging enough to hold our attention for most of its running time, it has such a light touch and is so fixated on an idealised picture postcard vision of Paris that it fails to generate much needed romantic heat, tension or drama.  It also suffers from some of the clunkier aspects of Woody’s previous movies.

With its tale of infidelity and murder amid the wealthy and privileged and themes of fate and random chance, this film is in many ways a French cousin to Match Point.  Lou de Laâge plays Fanny Fournier, a young art dealer living in a very upmarket section of Paris with her successful financial advisor husband, Jean (Melvil Poupaud).  Despite their marriage seeming idyllic to friends, it’s clear all is not well.  They appear oddly incompatible, Fanny is a latent bohemian and free spirit while Jean is a stern, weirdly disciplined conservative who gets his jollies playing with a huge model train set and shooting deer.  Also, he seems insidiously controlling, insisting Fanny wear particular jewellery and asking her who she’s speaking to on the phone.  Fanny appears to have accepted this arrangement as an alternative to the chaotic world she inhabited in a previous marriage to a drug-addled muso. Still, when some form of escape appears she grasps for it. While strolling a Parisian boulevard she bumps into a former school friend, would-be author and poet, Alain (Niels Schneider ) who says he’s always been besotted by her. Soon, friendly lunch dates between them turn into a full-blown affair and as fanny disappears mysteriously each day, the paranoid and potentially dangerous Jean becomes increasingly suspicious.

Whether it’s an affectionate homage or a miscalculation from Woody, this film feels oddly out of date, as if an early 1950’s infidelity thriller storyline has been plonked into a 2020’s film.  The characters simply don’t behave as we would expect them to in this era, especially Fanny who seems to largely ignore her intense oddball husband’s overbearing manner.  While in one sense the film evokes the 1950’s, it lacks that era’s compelling light and shade. Woody and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro have captured Paris in gleaming daylight which is striking but seems a little out of place given the darker themes and events here.

Also problematic is some of the dialogue which sounds (or for English speaking audiences reads, the entire film is in French) awkward and unnatural and a few scenes feel like a first take.  This is particularly noticeable among the couple’s friends who, while gossiping at cocktail parties, act as a kind of Greek chorus unfurling exposition, describing events and filling in backstories.  In a comedy film, this device might have worked but in the more serious context of a thriller it feels odd.

Another issue is the use of music. While Herbie Hancock’s quirky upbeat jazz, which plays throughout most of the film, is terrific by itself, it clashes with the tone of the more serious scenes.

Despite its incongruous and clumsy aspects, this film still mostly works. The plot, while creaky in places, is efficient and the two leads are very good. Lou de Laâge, who looks like a young Jane Fonda, has a vibrant and captivating charm and intelligence. Melvin Poupard who, resembles Jimmy Carr from 8 out of 10 cats does Countdown, is an effectively menacing and duplicitous figure as Jean.  These two characters deserved a more intense and challenging film.

Woody has talked about this being his last film.  It wouldn’t be a terrible way to go out but let’s hope he finds the inspiration to give us something tastier than this slightly bland offering.

Nick’s rating: ***

Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Thriller.

Classification: PG.

Director(s): Woody Allen.

Release date: 26th Dec 2023.

Running time: 93 mins.

Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.

 

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