User Reviews

It is easy for anyone that has suffered a great loss in one's life to try to get away from it all. Some people are able to cope better than others. Take Odette, a woman of a certain age that works for a living in a cosmetic counter of a department store in Belgium. After her husband died, she is left alone to bring up two children by herself. She finds an escape by reading Balthazar Balsan's novels, playing and dancing to her beloved Josephine Baker old songs and creating costumes with feathers and rhinestones for showgirls working in big venues. Her love for Ms. Baker is that, deep down, she feels like a Black person.

Odette, is a woman who is able to find good qualities in everyone. We watch her at her happiest soaring above everything. It is as though she transcends the dreariness of her surroundings by going above and beyond and creating her own reality, her own world.

Balthazar Balsan, who had received a personal letter from Odette, has his own problems. He is in the midst of a crisis as his own life is in turmoil because of problems with his estranged wife. On a whim, he decides to pay Odette a visit. The writer begins to relax in the company of Odette and her children, who have problems of their own. He begins to fall for Odette, but she knows he will only be escaping from his own reality and she is instrumental in bringing harmony into his life.

Eric Emmanuel Schmitt, who wrote the delightful "Monsieur Ibrahim", directed for the first time his own screenplay. He was successful in creating the right atmosphere by placing his story in Charleroi, Belgium, where Odette lives peacefully. He was able to show us the kitschy atmosphere that surrounds our heroine, as well as her world. Mr. Schmitt succeeded where others might have created a caricature.

The film owes big time to Catherine Frot, an actress that was perfect for the principal role. She steals the film and our hearts at the same time. Ms. Frot, who shows her talent for comedy in the way she was able to capture the essence of Odette. Albert Dupontel is also good as the world weary novelist who comes to see in Odette what he was lacking in his own life.

Highly recommended to audiences seeking originality.

Odette Toulemonde is the first feature film directed by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, French writer born in 1960, mostly known for his plays. This movie is a fairy tale for little girls who became mature women too fast. If this is your case, or if you are able to appreciate that kind of people, you will be able to appreciate the tenderness and sensitive feelings that emerge from this little movie played well and well realized. You could give this film an 8. Otherwise, your interest will be quickly suppressed and a 4 would be reasonable given that we have certainly seen much worse. Hence the average, for I am torn between these two attitudes vis-à-vis this film ...

Erich Emmanuel Schmitt is best known for adapting other people's work for both stage and screen rather than for Original Screenplays so an Original for his directorial debut is something of a rarity. As it happens I saw one of his most recent adaptations on the Paris stage when he took Noel Cowards 'Private Lives' and 'adapted' it to within an inch of its life so much so that what Coward wrote as a duet plus two thankless supporting roles emerged at the pen of Schmitt as a full-blown quartet. Armed with this information I had mixed feelings about Odette toulemonde even though he had obviously hedged his bets bu casting Catherine Frot in the lead. When she puts her mind to it no one can do Adorable like Frot (see Un Air de famille or Les Soeurs fachees) just as when she puts her mind to it no one can do Evil like Frot (see Vipere au poing) in short she's one of the best in the business: were she to read this fulsome praise she may have trouble keeping her feet on the ground which is precisely her problem as Odette; she is prone to levitating at odd moments from sheer joie de vivre though it may help if, as she does, you know a guy who resembles Jesus Christ, thinks nothing of walking on water and when last seen was walking up a hill carrying on his shoulders a large block of wood. A mother with teenage children but no husband Odette is ripe for romance and finds it via best selling novelist Albert Dupontel, as unhappy in this branch of the Arts as he was when he played a concert pianist for Daniel Thompson in Fauteuils d'orchestre. With actors like Frot and Dupontel - and Frot lip-synching Josephine Baker for good measure - you have to work at it to turn out something from the Kennel Club and Schmitt pulls off a hugely entertaining debut.

For those of you who came in late (any Phantom comic fans out there) Alliance Francaise and Palace Cinemas each in Australia put on a French film festival each year in Feb/March. This year it's 436 screenings nationwide with 37 movies and documentaries on offer.

For me the gem of the festival was Odette Toulemonde starring Catherine Frot who was in last years The Page Turner and is quite a well known French actress.

The Palace Cinema festival booklet describes this film as a joy. That would be understating the fact. I can't work out how I missed getting onto Frot before this. She is a delight, the other actors and characters in this are a delight. It's sort of like an "Italian for Beginners" feeling but French made. There's parts in here that rival the Notebook. Like many romantic comedies this film could be seen time and time again.

Highly recommended... I give it 10/10. Catherine Frot is about 52. She has some moves and dancing in this movie that would make an African American envious. Great music with a bit of Josephine Baker going on (a fabulous soundtrack) and Catherine you are quite a mover in character shaking your bootie.

Odette, her personality and outlook on life are a pure delight. I read recently a short article by a woman who finally realized that men do in fact like to sleep with women. Yes that's true. We men can never be sure if women in fact like to sleep with men. Some make it quite clear, others not so. But putting aside the physical, many men like or are really seeking to get close to a woman or be in her world. So here we have Odette doing her ironing in her petticoat, there's a knock at the door and she answers it. It's the simple things like this, the old Renault 10, her positive outlook on life that make this film so joyful. How could any man not be drawn to Odette.

I might be late getting onto Frot as an actress but now the pleasure of seeking out her earlier films awaits.

I confess to being a big fan of the French soprano Yvonne Printemps (1894-1979) who was on the French, English and American stage from around 1910 onwards,a founding member of the Parisian Comedy Francaise and an actress in about 6 or 7 films including "The 3 Waltzes" and "Paris Waltz" both available on Ebay on video or direct from the Bel Canto Society. More on her filmography at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0697869/

So the French have done "La Vie en Rose" with Marion Coutlhard documenting Edith Piafs life. My great hope is now the French have this under their belt that they will move onto a real star like Printemps.

In Catherine Frot we have someone the right age (52 born 1956) about the same age as Printemps when she made Paris Waltz. Frot could do Printemps with her little finger, she could mimic Printemps mannerisms in an instant. I just hope someone in the French Film industry can see this. First Frot morphing Josephine Baker. Next stop Printemps!