Surprised there aren't more reviews for one of this great director's best films, which I would place just below "400 Blows" in the Doinel quartet ranking. It is an acute, light hearted but no less serious for that, examination of a loving yet somewhat dysfunctional marriage (Are there any other kind in France?). At first I suspected Godardish sexism at play, what with the self centered, supercilious Antoine being given more screen time and favor over the bourgeois, smug Christine. But as the film progresses so does Claude Jade's fine performance and we see the greater maturity and humanity of Madame as opposed to Monsieur Doinel. As for Jean Pierre Leaud he continues to etch, in Antoine, one of the greatest coming of age portrayals in Gallic cinema, in my opinion.
Bottom line: A bit too long for a comedy and some of the subsidiary characters are caricatured, but otherwise a great film. A minus.
Bottom line: A bit too long for a comedy and some of the subsidiary characters are caricatured, but otherwise a great film. A minus.