Patrice Leconte directs Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort and Fanny Ardant in this French costume drama where acceptance into the court of Louis XVI is based on one’s ability to wittily insult one’s company.

Lush and funny, cruel yet sexy. This is a brilliant slice of French cinema. The period detail is immaculate. The pull between decadence and progress has never been better essayed. Like any US high school movie this is essentially about giving up your soul to fit in with the “in” crowd, though a lot more horny and urgent. Occasionally the French bon mots that motor the plotting are a little lost in translation but Judith Godrèche’s spectacular heaving cleavage is on hand to keep us entertained. Fanny Ardant has never been better as the manipulative widow who offers patronage to only the sexiest wits.

9

Perfect Double Bill: Return Of the Hero (2018)

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