Les Saveurs du Palais (2012)
Directed by Christian Vincent

Film Review

Catherine Frot's comedic talents are put to good use in this gastronomically themed comedy, inspired by the experiences of the renowned chef Danièle Delpeuch.  Whilst not formally a biopic, Les Saveurs du palais (a.k.a. Haute Cuisine) dips generously into Delpeuch's autobiography and recounts various incidents during her two year stint at the Élysée Palace as personal chef to the French president François Mitterrand.  The icing on the cake (or should that be sauce piquante?) was the decision to cast one of Mitterrand's staunchest critics, the 86 year-old journalist Jean d'Ormesson, in the role of the President.  The gag will doubtless be lost on anyone watching the film outside France.

Intelligently scripted by Etienne Comar (co-author on  Xavier Beauvois's acclaimed 2010 film Hommes et des dieux), the film offers an amusing homage to France's two principal religions - good food and senseless bureaucracy - through the many run-ins that Delpeuch had with the Élysée administrative machine and stubborn male chauvinism.  It is worth noting that Delpeuch was the first woman chef to be allowed into the kitchens of the Élysée Palace - not only that, she was a woman from the provinces!   Delpeuch's private battle against unbending protocol strikes an immediate chord, providing a sobering reminder of the small-minded prejudices which are still endemic in French society.  Hortense's line "Si vous ne m'aimez pas, je ne vous aime pas non plus!" paraphrases Maurice Pialat's famous retort when he was jeered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987.  Outsiders, even brilliant outsiders, have a hard time in France.

Catherine Frot is as committed and as enjoyable to watch as ever, and she brings pep to what might otherwise have been a fairly mundane comedy.  The film's one false note is the use of an unnecessary framing device, which relates the chef's Élysée exploits via flashbacks as she confronts another pivotal moment in her career, several thousand miles away in Antarctica.  Director Christian Vincent makes good use of the locations provided for him at the Élysée Palace, a privilege that lends his film veracity and a certain elegance.  Despite being a self-confessed gourmet, Vincent has so far avoided allusions to haute cusine in his films; he is best known today for his intimate dramas of the 1990s, notably  La Discrète (1990) and La Séparation (1994). 

As palatable as it is, Les Saveurs du palais is somewhat lacking in substance and you can't help wishing there was a little more meat on the bone.  The plot is thin - no more than a series of anecdotes - and the characters are not as well developed as they might have been.  On the plus side, the acting is impeccable (Frot and Ormesson are ably supported by Hippolyte Girardot) and the humour is never less than tasteful.  This is definitely a film you can watch between meals without ruining your appetite.  Au contraire...  The scenes showing the sumptuous feasts being prepared (is it widely known that French presidents eat like kings?) are guaranteed to make your mouth water.  It's more of an hors d'oeuvre than a chef d'oeuvre, best served with a chilled glass of chablis.

Film Synopsis

Hortense Laborie is regarded as the finest chef in the Périgord region of France.  To her immense surprise, the President of the Republic summons her to the Élysée Palace and places her in charge of preparing his private meals.  Despite the petty rivalries of the kitchen staff, who leave her in no doubt that her presence is deeply resented, Hortense soon settles into her new job.  Such is the authenticity of her cuisine that the President is soon won over by her, but in the corridors of power there are many obstacles to success...