Why you can trust 12DOVE
In '30s Paris, ageing actor Victor Derval (Noiret) meets Liza (Varga), a girl fascinated by the theatre in general and Derval in particular. They become lovers and she moves into his townhouse as his secretary. But there, she falls in love with Derval's son Paul (Blanc).
Maillet's romance neatly sketches in the background of inter-war France, but never gets as much detail into the characters. Blanc's Paul is a cardboard cut-out and, despite Varga's best efforts, Liza remains a French movie cliché - the beautiful naïf who's every action is dictated by the needs of the plot, not the character.
Only Noiret overcomes the limitations of the part. But even watching him tailor this off-the-peg roué into something more fitting isn't enough to make the film worthwhile.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe says he's "got way into Balatro" after designing collab art for the poker-themed roguelike, and it's like being "in a trance"
Recreating a 36-year-old JRPG classic put a mountain of pressure on the Dragon Quest 3 remake devs: "If this fails, I won't be able to stay in the industry"
I don't usually see gift card deals like this until the very end of Black Friday