X
- 2011
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 43 m
- 2011
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 43 m
Summary Set in 1977 in a provincial French town, POTICHE is a free adaptation of the 1970s eponymous hit comic play. Catherine Deneuve is Suzanne Pujol, a submissive, housebound ‘trophy housewife’ (or “potiche,”) who steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her wealthy and tyrannical husband after the workers go on strike and take him host...
Directed By: François Ozon
Written By: Pierre Barillet, Jean-Pierre Grédy, François Ozon
- 2011
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 43 m
- 2011
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 43 m
Potiche
68
6.0
Where to Watch
Summary Set in 1977 in a provincial French town, POTICHE is a free adaptation of the 1970s eponymous hit comic play. Catherine Deneuve is Suzanne Pujol, a submissive, housebound ‘trophy housewife’ (or “potiche,”) who steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her wealthy and tyrannical husband after the workers go on strike and take him host...
Directed By: François Ozon
Written By: Pierre Barillet, Jean-Pierre Grédy, François Ozon
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
68
84% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
16% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
68
84% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
16% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The plot is a piffle but Ozon's presentation is gloriously romantic.
If this sounds like cheesy melodrama, that's exactly how director Francois Ozon ("Swimming Pool," "8 Women") wants it.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
6.0
50% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
39% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
11% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 User Ratings
6.0
50% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
39% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
11% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
As an 18 year old straight male, this is not the movie gender and sexuality norms would suggest I would want to see. However, none-the-less I am happy I did. Potiche is all about breaking out of those gender norms and realizing one's potential. I won't give the plot away but I will say that the story of Suzanne Pujol (the trophy wife) unfolds in a way that is both charming and witty. As a young adult that has grown up on classic movies this movie was a breath of fresh air compared to the selection that one is often confronted with at theaters today. I would not recommend anyone below the age of 17 seeing this unless deemed appropriate (semi-explicit sex). All of this being said, I saw this by myself and regretted not asking my girlfriend to go with me. Potiche is a great movie with amazing performances by all. If you get a chance see this with your mother and or father, as this strikes me as a movie not just well suited to multi-gender viewings but multi-generational viewings also. Whatever you decide to do please take away the larger lesson from the movie. Potiche's lesson is well worth the time and money. It's going in my collection next to The Kings Speech.
Report
Potiche is filled with rat-a-tat dialogue and broadly humorous situations, but Ozon also employs subtle touches.
You suspect, before long, that there is no strong reason for this production to exist, but it is reasonably good fun all the same.
It's all still pretty silly, though. So it makes sense that the director approaches the story through a period lens, encouraging his cast to behave as if they were in a frothy '70s confection like "Cousin Cousine" or "Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe."
What the movie utterly fails to resolve is what François Ozon is up to here and where he's going next.
It's just that the script, which Ozon adapted from a play, is lightweight and better-suited to stage than screen.
It's a fun movie, and Catherine D. is phenomenal, as usual. There's a LOT more to the story than the trailer suggests. Definitely an interesting peek into the sexual politics of France in the 70's. What I've told people is that it put me in a good mood. Never a bad thing.
Report
French director Francois Ozon has created some unusual and compelling films. This one is more pedestrian, but still interesting. Catherine Deneuve stars as the "trophy wife" of an umbrella factory owner. Things change when she "mans" the company's leadership. This takes place in 1977, so there's a zealous women's lib message (in addition to some fun period clothes). The story and characters are mostly predictable and the performances are adequate. Nothing exceptional here. Just a little French trifle.
Report
Production Company
Mandarin Films,
FOZ,
France 2 Cinéma,
Mars Films,
Wild Bunch,
Scope Pictures,
Canal+,
France Télévisions,
TPS Star,
Région Wallone,
Banque Postale Image 3, La,
Cofinova 6,
Cinémage 4,
Soficinéma 6,
SCOPE Invest
Release Date Mar 25, 2011
Duration 1 h 43 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline France, 1977: Women's Liberation is in the air.
Awards
César Awards, France
• 4 Nominations
Magritte Awards, Belgium
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Venice Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
