Review of Le code a changé

The delight in this film is watching the beautiful people chatting, pouting, threatening, flirting, and otherwise socializing, although the two "older man" figures luckily transcend being "beautiful" with a more rugged attractiveness and some discernible values. There are some fine character actors here, including Roman Polanski's wife. And, luckily, Paris is one of the featured actors, and that never hurts. Yet, the reviewer from Frankfurt is correct, something or somethings are missing. One such thing being perspective. Contrast with Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie; Le code a changé is the nightmare alternative ending in which they actually sit down and dine. Had Buñuel allowed that to occur, the bourgeoisie would have been shown up as, at best, ridiculous. In Le code a changé, they are still absurd, but they are deeply beloved by the filmmaker, who yet allows the absurdity to show, then returns to love, then scorn, then something in between; it's wishywashy and chaotic. The Director brings everyone but herself to the realization that the younger characters are hopelessly shallow, thereby weakening the film's impact.

Also missing is achievement of a significant goal. (Mini-spoiler) two or maybe four of the characters resolve an issue between them, but it's only nice, not important as displayed (compare to, say, slaying the dragon, or systematically portraying the faults of a social class). That's my stab at what's missing, although the point about a lack of goal must have been deliberate. What saves the film is the believable and skillful portrayal of the characters (however shallow some of them may be), including the nuances one would expect to see among smart people who know how to converse, and do so, and wittily, at times. The music and editing definitely deserve some credit.