X
- 2021
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 53 m
- 2021
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 53 m
Summary My plan was to die before the money ran out,” says 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), but things didn’t go as planned. Her husband Franklin has been dead for 12 years and with his vast inheritance gone, she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymous...
Directed By: Azazel Jacobs
Written By: Patrick DeWitt
- 2021
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 53 m
- 2021
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 53 m
French Exit
56
5.9
Where to Watch
Summary My plan was to die before the money ran out,” says 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), but things didn’t go as planned. Her husband Franklin has been dead for 12 years and with his vast inheritance gone, she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymous...
Directed By: Azazel Jacobs
Written By: Patrick DeWitt
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
56
53% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
41% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 32 Critic Reviews
56
53% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
41% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Jacobs manages this controlled chaos with a dexterity and brittle artificiality that’s quite distinct from all of his previous films
The costume design from Jane Petrie creates a timeless elegance. And Pfeiffer’s performance only becomes richer as her character reveals the kindness that’s been buried within her cool, stylish persona all this time.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 20 User Ratings
5.9
30% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
60% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
10% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 20 User Ratings
5.9
30% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
60% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
10% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Do you ever feel that you've had adulthood thrust upon you
at too young an age? And that... you're still
essentially a child... mimicking the behaviors of
the grown-ups all around you so they won't uncover the
meager contents of your heart?
A few minutes in, I thought this is going to be one of these movies that adopt some sort of a false pretense in order to satirize the rich and upper class. Well, as I finished the movie I still think it is. But the story's attempts to dodge clichés surrounding this type of films had me constantly not only striving to classify it, but also quite baffled to know what's the point of it in the first place. Suffice it to say, it meanders a lot, especially regarding its tone which I'm not sure either the first act or Pfeiffer's magnetic performance as the delightfully sardonic Frances Price were enough to set it properly. As I said, it's meandering. And the whimsy of it being turned up to eleven in spasmodic bursts — while perfectly suits the oddball characters and the Anderson-esque style the movie has about it — feels a bit incongruous with the tender and emotive core of the story that I could catch glimpses of as the story progresses and its caustic layer being peeled off sporadically. With some touches that border on surrealism, I believe the movie become very close to going completely off the rails in its latter half to the point of stretching its believability a little too far. But everything was done efficiently and with great panache so much so I couldn't help reconciling myself with whatever this film is trying to achieve and I think I was well rewarded by the end. I finally could figure out what it is about — hopefully. Without getting into details to avoid spoiling anything, I think French Exit is a character study of a woman, Frances Price, who tries to break away from the phony life she leads. She's fundamentally a good and "real" person, but she's confined to the stereotypes of her aristocratic social strata. She takes a huge step towards fulfilling her purpose, only to find that the consequences of such action come arbitrarily and at a time she's neither financially, mentally nor emotionally prepared for, the thing that resulted in her having a midlife crisis of sorts. Lucas Hedges does an excellent job at complementing this with his understated performance as Frances's son, Malcolm. But Pfeiffer really knocked it out of the park here! A bizarre satirical dramedy that might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely worth checking out.
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It’s a film you can easily fall into and out of, a breezy walk through the park. French Exit is simply an enchanting day at the movies.
In French Exit’s best passages, sadness and curt, resonant comedy exist side by side unceremoniously.
If your definition of a good story is one that keeps you on the hook, wondering where the heck this particular journey will take you, then French Exit certainly qualifies.
French Exit is sure to divide — it’s got great performances and a confidence in its atmosphere that the gods could envy. The struggle, then, is whether you’re prepared for the sheer amount of deliberate aimlessness Jacobs and deWitt are willing to throw at you.
A defiantly unbelievable and drably directed heap of quirk that’s as overstuffed as it is underpowered, a head-scratching failure for all involved.
Admittedly, not everything works in this quirky absurdist comedy-drama, but, when it does click (which is most of the time), director Azazel Jacobs' meditation on life, death, love, family, friendship and what matters in life delights with an impish glee. When a wealthy widow who has long been a fixture in New York high society suddenly finds herself broke, she and her adult son quietly relocate to Paris in an attempt to make a new life for themselves, despite a number of glitches that intrude on their plans. The picture's superb ensemble cast, most notably headliner Michelle Pfeiffer and supporting player Valerie Mahaffey, coupled with its insightful and endlessly witty repartee, combine to serve up laugh-out-loud fun, as well as more than a few tender and tense moments. The film sometimes stumbles when it comes to the cohesion of its narrative, but, considering everything else it has to offer, that's easily brushed aside merely as being part of the production's overall eccentricity. Remember, most things French have an inherent element of absurdity as part of their character and charm, so why shouldn't that be the case with a story set in the heart of such refined madness?
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This movie started off very promising. Michelle Pfieffer was dropping witty bon mots, and cutting people to the core with her stare. Unforunately this movie had too many subplots, and characters, and was probably better off as a book.
Report
Production Company
Blinder Films,
Elevation Pictures,
Rocket Science,
Saalgo Productions,
Screen Siren Pictures,
Terminal City Pictures,
Téléfilm Canada
Release Date Feb 12, 2021
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating R
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Canadian Screen Awards, CA
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
CinEuphoria Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
