US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文
China / HK Macao Taiwan

Far from a soft touch

(China Daily Asia Weekly) Updated: 2012-12-04 10:36

Quelle Surprise

I never thought I'd hear myself say anything good about a romantic comedy. Rom-coms are perhaps the only irredeemable film form in existence, with little to no tangible value to humanity — and that includes anything by Michael Bay and porn. So to discover that French filmmaker James Huth, with co-writer Sonja Shillito, has managed an accessible, reasonably charming, intensely Gallic rom-com comes as something of a welcome if belated surprise.

Far from a soft touch

Directed by James Huth, written by Sonja Shillito and James Huth. Starring Gad Elmaleh, Sophie Marceau, Maurice Barthélémy, Michaël Abiteboul and François Berléand. France, 109 minutes, IIA. 

What separates Happiness Never Comes Alone from its predominantly Hollywood counterparts, which it draws inspiration from, is its rejection of the genre's most fundamental tenet: the daffy woman desperate for love as central character. Out is a moony Jennifer Aniston type as object of pity. Gone is the (totally not) charming social ineptitude of Katherine Heigl. Huth and Shillito have opted instead for a truly likeable, adult woman (Sophie Marceau) as the love interest circling a commitment-shy man-child (Gad Elmaleh). Where Hollywood loves nothing more than to feature an uptight/career-focused/neurotic gal learning how to be a "real" woman (not so up hung on work, sexually adventurous yet totally monogamous, willing to listen to sexist jokes, etc), Happiness hinges on the guy's growth — from entitled little boy who revels in shirking responsibility into truly likeable adult male worthy of her attention. What a novel idea!

Charlotte Posche (Marceau) is an art curator and mother of three, separated from her domineering husband, Alain (a hiss-worthy François Berléand), a powerful advertising executive. When she literally stumbles into underachieving musician Sacha Keller's (Elmaleh) jalopy one rainy afternoon it seems to be love at first sight. His friends joke about how "old" she is in light of his penchant for women much younger than him and have even more fun at his expense when Sacha finds out about the kids. Though Charlotte is sure her romance is over because of it, Sacha surprises everyone by going back. They wind up with a lovely French villa in the burbs and live happily ever after.

That is by no means any kind of spoiler. This is a rom-com in every sense of the word and the conclusion is as inevitable as the sun rising in the east. Huth follows the formula to a T, and in doing so manages to turn the genre almost on its head. Lurking beneath Marceau's pratfalls (seeing the refined Marceau goofing it up is both disturbing and refreshing) and narrative landmarks (but sadly no dash through the airport) are some pithy observations about modern romance, the anxiety stemming from being a single parent in the dating pool and the price of professional success. Charlotte's fears that her great romance may be over before it begins are not unfounded, and Sacha's initial reluctance to continue seeing a woman with three children doesn't make him a bad person it just makes him as cautious as many of us might be. Both characters are relatable in way that is rare in cinema.

Again, it's a rom-com so there is a host of contrived "obstacles" in the way to domestic bliss (among them a crazy Québécois theater producer and a pugilistic ex-boyfriend), but Happiness Never Comes Alone works because of the balance Huth and Shillito strike between fantasy and reality, ultimately grounding the film in the latter. Even the kids are bearable. Your move Ms Heigl.

Happiness Never Comes Alone opened in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Highlights
Hot Topics

...