Elles ne pensent qu'à ça... (1994)
Directed by Charlotte Dubreuil

Film Review

Elles ne pensent qu'à ça... is a lightweight comedy that more resembles a middle-of-the-road American sitcom than a traditional French comedy - insubstantial and for the most part pretty humourless. The film's one saving grace is the presence if its two charismatic leading ladies, Claudia Cardinal and Carole Laure (best remembered for her role in Bertrand Blier's Oscar winning Préparez vos mouchoirs (1978)), who have what it takes to salvage almost any mediocre comic offering.

Although the script has little to commend it (the plot is a tacky concoction of clichés, the characterisation virtually non-existent), the film does at least present a fairly credible portrait of modern family life in France.  Gone are the days of stable family relationships, where large extended families would live together in the same neighbourhood.  The reality is that in France, as elsewhere in the western world, marriage and the extended family are fast becoming a thing of the past.  There is still the need for this kind of family, and this film shows how such a thing can exist, in spite of marital breakdowns.

Unfortunately, this film's author is not up to the task of making the most of this worthy premise. Even Claudia Cardinal struggles to make her character interesting and likeable, so bereft of charm and substance is the writing. Her starry presence has the effect of stealing the focus from the more believable characters played by Carole Laure and Bernard Yerlès who should have been the film's focus. Charlotte Dubreuil's three previous films - Qu'est-ce que tu veux Julie? (1977), Ma chérie (1980) and La côte d'amour (1982) - are just as forgettable.

Film Synopsis

Margeau returns to Paris from New York when her daughter, Jess, takes an overdose of sleeping pills.  The rest of the family arrive in toe, including Jess and Margeau's former husbands and their current partners.  Jess is currently living with a young musician, but their relationship has stalled, which could explain Jess' depression...