Potiche

Director: François Ozon
Year Released: 2010
Rating: 2.0

When a grouchy, philandering owner of an umbrella factory (Fabrice Luchini) is taken hostage by fed-up workers, his deceptively sweet wife (Catherine Deneuve) steps in to negotiate, armed with a proto-Communist slant, courtesy of a union leader (Gérard Depardieu, doing his best impression of a musk-ox). Though it's kind of fun to find out about Deneuve's "nymphomaniac" past - former lover Depardieu feels belittled when he's informed of her "past romps" - the abundant fluff in this kills any long-term resonance: I understand it's supposed to be fun, lighthearted fare, but it could have cut a little deeper with regards to its politics and the rights of workers. Ozon needs to stop watching Doris Day movies.