Be wary of “potiches,” because a French trophy wife, as any woman daily humiliated by a successful husband, just might actually be a respected factory manager under the guise of curlers and Chantilly cream colored suits. Indeed, François Ozon’s latest screwball comedy, Potiche, tells the story of a patronized housewife who has to take over an umbrella factory while her husband is being hospitalized after a confrontation with angry French strikers.
France most prominent pairing of actors, Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu, are once again reunited in this utterly absurd comedy. It is crammed with intelligent and hilarious allusions to famous French culture from the 70s up until now, simultaneously featuring furry phones and Sarkozy’s blunders. But you don’t have to go in for frog legs to appreciate a well-constructed plot with multiple turnarounds and skilled actors who manage to breathe life into two-dimensional characters.
Potiche may well be a little weighed down by references and its theatrical origins but it is still a refreshing and clever farce blending battle of the sexes, disco music and class struggle.
