Fauteuils d'orchestre (2006)
Directed by Danièle Thompson

Film Review

Whilst her work as a director hasn't yet earned her the acclaim that her screenwriting has, Danièle Thompson certainly knows how to make films that have a wide popular appeal.  Fauteuils d'orchestre has many of the ingredients that will draw enthusiasts of French cinema - its Parisian setting, its themes of love and personal crises, its high calibre cast and its subtle blend of comedy and drama.  The film evokes fond memories of Thompson's directorial debut film, La Bûche (1999), which many regard as her best work to date.

Fauteuils d'orchestre is an engaging film which has many good points - Cécile De France and Valérie Lemercier being at least two of them - but it isn't entirely without its failings.  The characters - although well-played - are for the most part unconvincing caricatures, and are not given the time or the space to develop.  The situations are often clichéd and this, together with the unadventurous cinematography and direction, makes the film feel somewhat dated.

Perhaps the biggest failing with this film is that there are just too many story elements, too many ideas that have been thrown together, like vegetables in a food blender, without any regard to structure or narrative thrust.  At the end you are left wondering what the point of the film was and whether any one of its umpteen story strands has been resolved.  If Fauteuils d'orchestre were a dessert it would be something light and fluffy made with a lot of tasty ingredients, one that you would take great pleasure in eating, but one that would leave you hungry and unsatisfied once the plate was empty.

Film Synopsis

Prompted by her grandmother's recollections, Jessica goes to Paris and finds work as a waitress in a bar frequented by actors and theatre goers.  She meets three people who could not be more different but who are all looking for a new direction in their lives.  Jean-François Lefort is a virtuoso pianist who burns with a newly acquired passion to bring classical music to people who are excluded from the concert halls.  Fred Grumberg is thrown into a mid-life crisis when he learns that his father, Jacques, is about to sell off his art collection so that he can start a new life with a much younger woman.   Catherine Versen is a successful actress who has become a star thanks to a popular television series, but she is desperate to take on more challenging work, on stage and in films.  As luck would have it, the lives of these three people reach a turning point on the same date...