COUP DE CHANCE Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Lou de Laage, Melvin Poupard, Niels Schneider, Valerie Lemercier, Guillaume de Tonquedec, Gregory Gadebois.
Although out of favour in the US, Woody Allen is still a revered filmmaker in France, and fittingly enough his fiftieth film as a filmmaker is actually set and shot in France. And, surprisingly enough, the dialogue is in French, with subtitles. Coup de Chance (Stroke Of Luck) also turns out to be one of Allen’s best films in quite some time and shows that there is still plenty of life left in the 87-year-old auteur.
One morning while walking on her way to work Fanny Fournier (Lou de Laage, from Black Box, etc) bumps into a former school friend in Alain (Niels Schneider, from Gemma Bovery, etc), an aspiring writer who is leading a bohemian lifestyle in Paris. He confesses to Fanny that he had a crush on her when they were at school but was too timid to act on his feelings. Fanny now works at an upmarket auction house and is married to wealthy, arrogant and entitled businessman Jean (Melvin Poupard, from One Fine Morning, etc). Fanny and Alain meet up for lunch the next day and before too long they embark on an affair that has her reconsidering her relationship with the possessive and obsessive Jean. She realises that her marriage has fallen into a routine and lacks passion and excitement, and that Jean’s antique model train set is his most cherished possession.
But soon the preoccupied Jean begins to suspect that Fanny is unfaithful and hires a private investigator to follow her. What he uncovers sets in motion a chain of events that lead to an unexpected climax. Fanny’s mother Camille (Valerie Lemercier, from Monte Carlo, etc) becomes curious and begins to probe into Jean’s business dealings and the mysterious death of his former business partner.
Coup de Chance is not a breezy comedy, but rather more of a light domestic drama about infidelity and murder, and its narrative is more along the lines of Allen’s earlier films Match Point and Crimes And Misdemeanors with its noir-like stylings that seem more Hitchcock than Allen. The film is typical Allen with plenty of throwaway quips and lots of philosophical musings on life and fate and the role that luck plays in shaping our lives. Alain observes: “How ironic life can be, how we’re ruled by chance and coincidence.” Chance and coincidences certainly play a role in shaping the events of this film.
Coup de Chance is shaped by Allen’s breezy touch and moves along at a leisurely pace. Allen builds tension as it moves towards its twist ending. The action is accompanied by a great, bouncy jazz score that further adds to the film’s enjoyment. The film was superbly shot by veteran Oscar winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now, etc), who uses bright autumnal colours and gives the material a warm ambience.
Allen draws strong, nicely nuanced performances from his cast. De Laarge is charming and vivacious and brings energy to her role. Poupard is suitably cold and aloof, while Lemercier is good as Camille.
★★★☆
