Eros thérapie

Something of a curio in several respects, not least why a quartet of distinguished actors consented to appear in such a dubious enterprise. In my case I was drawn by the marquee names; Isabelle Carre, so brilliant in 'Se souvenirs des belles choses' and 'Les Sentiments', Catherine Frot, with a whole catalogue of fine performances behind her not least the birthday girl in 'Un Aire de famille', Francoise Berleand, fresh from his triumph in 'Les Choristes' - still playing in 11 salles in Paris despite opening in early April - and Julie Depardieu, sister to Guillaume, daughter to Gerard. Veteran writer-director Daniel Dubroux has dabbled in the slightly off-color on previous occasions; as an actress she played in 'L'Ecole du chair' (The School of Flesh)opposite Isabelle Huppert, then just beginning her own exploration of sleaze, and as a triple-threat she wrote, directed and played in 'Le Journal du seducter'. For those who may be interested the plot of 'Eros' begins a little after Catherine Frot has left husband Berleand and moved new lover Carre into the marital home, relegating hubby to the garage.

By way of revenge Berleand enlists the aid of Bruno (Melvil Poupaud), who has an inside track at the local bondage parlour where the clientele are wont to don the odd gas mask and worse. It may of course be a barrel of laughs to see people walking around in gas masks and little else. I wouldn't know, maybe I should get out more. Poupaud convinces Carre he's dead and later shows up at the home of her strait-laced parents - you're ahead of me, aren't you, oh well, those are the breaks - and later, rather than sooner, alas, all is resolved. No rating.

A middle-aged man tries to get back with his estranged, bisexual wife by having a friend seduce his wife's young mistress.

I don't know if this film was originally conceived as a stage play, but it has that air about it: a French marital farce in which the characters are exaggerated for comic effect, where the audience is required to accept implausible plot twists, and in which the hapless, bemused men are humiliated by the women they want to use for their sexual pleasure. I'm sure the "Madame Whiplash" scenes would go down very well in a Parisian theatre.

What is surprising about this otherwise mediocre comedy is the extraordinary quality of the cast, from the quartet of leading actors down to the minor roles which include veteran actor Jacques François (his last film), Claire Nebout (as a professional dominatrix), Julie Depardieu and Emmanuelle Riva. Melvil Poupaud is particularly enjoyable here, in a wonderfully louche and mischievous performance which includes an outrageous and possibly actionable impersonation of David Cronenberg.