Writers: Pascal Bonitzer & Anne Fontaine
Director: Anne Fontaine
In 2010, Gemma Arterton starred in Tamara Drewe, a film based on a graphic novel by Posy Simmonds which is set in rural England, its major dramatic beats more or less following the plot of a piece of classic English literature. Now Gemma Arterton stars in Gemma Bovery, a film based on a graphic novel by Posy Simmonds which is set in rural France, its major dramatic beats more or less following the plot of a piece of classic French literature. So is it a case of same stuff, different location? Absolutely not.
Married couple Gemma and Charlie Bovery (Arterton and Flemyng) move to a friendly, picturesque French village for a fresh start. As they're unpacking their belongings who should they meet but a guy called Gordo, played by Joel Edgerton, who has a gift for them...nah, only kidding. That would have been a freaky twist to the film. They do meet someone but it's their neighbour Martin (Luchini), the local baker who is a) instantly taken with the lovely Gemma and b) intrigued by her surname, being a huge fan of the similarly-surnamed heroine of Flaubert's novel.
As the English newcomers settle into the area, Martin comes to realise that events in the life of Mrs Bovery are taking a similar track to those in the fictional life of Madame Bovary. All too aware of the tragic climax to the novel, Martin looks to intervene in matters before Gemma meets a sticky end. He's especially twitchy about the rat poison that the Boverys have in order to control their pest problem. It has arsenic in it, and that's not good for a Bovary/Bovery.
I did think of trying not the describe this predominantly French movie as a soufflé but I'm a sucker for a cliché. I did try not to use the word 'cliché' either. Soufflé sums up this movie very well - light, fluffy, flavoursome and just the thing if you're in the right mood. There are some darker elements to this story but the summery feel of the proceedings generally prevails here and a lot of emphasis is placed on Gemma's rediscovery of her joie de vivre. Ooh la la! Zut alors! Okay, I'm going to stop using French expressions now.
Arterton is charming in the title role and she handles the predominantly French dialogue extremely well. Luchini shows great comic timing and a fabulous hangdog expression to boot as the man who appoints himself the saviour of his new English friend. There are also many fine performances to enjoy in the supporting roles, namely Isabelle Candelier as Martin's perceptive, no-nonsense, dryly comic wife, Flemyng as the decent, well-meaning Charlie and Elsa Zylberstein as the style-obsessed Wizzy.
As a bit of a horror buff, I also feel I must mention the casting of Edith Scob (from genre classic Les Yeux Sans Visage) who turns up as the mother of the young law student Gemma has taken rather a shine to. Well, I'm excited that I can mention Les Yeux Sans Visage in this review, even if absolutely no one else is. Does it have any bearing on Gemma Bovery? Not really. Hey, it's my review. Write your own without any references to Georges Franju's movie.
But I digress. This is a chic, unhurried, romantic comedy drama which is a nicely filmed, pleasantly performed divertissement for those who already like this kind of thing. For everyone else, this could be flimsy, inconsequential and frustraingly lacking in the drama stakes - your bête noire, if you will. Mon Dieu, I'm back into that French thing again...
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