Richard Martin Movies
Bertrand Blier's films have explored the sometimes misogynistic sexuality of younger men, but here he offers an absorbing, funny, and moving take on a middle-aged man's adulterous affair. Gerard Depardieu stars as Bernard, an affluent car dealer who finds himself in the grip of a violent passion for his new secretary, a rather plain-looking, middle-aged woman played by Josiane Balasko. Seemingly a happily married man with a beautiful wife (Carole Bouquet) and children, he can't understand what is happening as his life is turned upside down. While it may seem that Blier simply enjoys tweaking convention, he's clearly after far more than laughs given the tenderness he finds in the scenes between the adulterous lovers. Bernard's age has suddenly made him more vulnerable, a state of emotion that he realizes Colette grasps intuitively. Depardieu and French comedienne Balasko make a completely believable couple, and the photography of the great Philippe Rousselot is stunning. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Josiane Balasko, (more)
- 1982
Author Franz Innerhofer wrote an autobiographical trilogy and this film is based on the first book in the series, a work that includes a description of his years (from 6 to 17) on the family farm in the mountains of the Karten region of Austria. His stepfather was a brutal parent who did not spare the whip, and like other farm children, Innerhofer often had to stay home and work -- school took a back seat to hard labor. The taciturn farmers who formed his only society had a blunt and unembellished way of speaking that hardly lent itself to profound communication, and between his lack of schooling, his stepfather's abuse, and the restricted use of language, Innerhofer reaches a point in his teen years where he ceases to be able to express himself well. After he leaves the farm, he keeps up correspondence with his grandfather, the one individual who empathized with young Innerhofer's plight -- but his grandfather is old and will not always be there. (Fortunately for Innerhofer he completed his education after his military service, attended the university in Salzburg, and started writing. His first book Schoene Tage was published in 1974 and won two literary prizes in Austria.) ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- PG
For a film that barely received a theatrical release, Just Tell Me You Love Me has certainly gotten an inordinate amount of television exposure over the last decade. Could this have anything to do with the presence of Lisa Hartman in the cast? Whatever the case, the film is an extremely laid-back tale of three young confidence tricksters, working the resort towns. The larcenous threesome ply their trade on unsuspecting business executives, with the expected conners-get-conned-themselves results. Hardly a film of significance, Just Tell Me You Love Me is a pleasant time filler if you've got nothing else to do on a Saturday afternoon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
