This is a good movie to get if you're learning French and trying to pick up the dialog; there are no subtitles. I didn't quite get every little nuance--not that a translation would in any case--but I got enough to figure out the story and who is doing what to whom and why, more or less.
In the US, we would probably consider this story a movie of the week (MOW) instead of a feature. It's too short for a drama and a bit too long for a comedy, which this is not. There are also a bunch of plot holes and the ending leaves one of the major characters dangling, something Hollywood would not allow.
There are three main characters, played by Gerard Depardieu, Carole Bouquet, and Nathalie Baye. GD is married to CB and they have a son together, who is about 7. NB works for a PR firm and is about the same age as GD. NB is a cute blonde, while CB is, well, let's not beat about the bush ... nothing short of a modern Venus de Milo, gorgeous in every sense of the term, and in this movie 27 years old, and about 10 years younger than GD.
You're not gonna believe me when I tell you this, but GD decides to cheat on his wife with ... an older woman, i.e., NB. True, NB is spunky and charming and their chemistry is excellent, whereas CB is, well, apparently too beautiful for good ole bulbous nose. Can't stand prosperity, I guess. If the reference sounds familiar, GD cheats on CB again in a later movie by Blier called "Too Beautiful for You," only this time with Ms. Plump Frump -- see my review of that one for a laff.
The story is driven by something or other about a crime boss who decides to get nasty when GD (who is a lawyer) reveals embarrassing information about him in the press. There are some fight scenes and one murder scene but not to worry, this isn't "Goodfellas" and the amount of bad language is minimal -- but then I only understand a few of those curse words so far. You can skip all that anyway because there's nothing here that hasn't been done better in American gangster movies. Except that French thugs dress better (ha ha).
The movie works because of the contrast betwen the two women. NB's character is down to earth and approachable, whereas CB's character is regal and distant--maybe that's why GD strays. But that's only a theory because the reason is not really made clear. When CB is on screen, it's impossible to take your eyes off her. When she gets mad or expresses anger, she does so with such force that one almost believes she could kill someone if she went over the top. There is a scene where she almost does, when she finds out that it was NB that was cheating with her husband, follows her in her car, and crashes her BMW into NB's pea shooter. Hell hath no fury is about as well acted as you can imagine.
It all has a happy ending for GD and NB but we never find out what happens to CB. A loose end, and a rather embarrassing one. But maybe my French isn't yet good enough to figure it out.
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