Satire as sparkly as flat bubbly
and Harvey Keitel, but the proceedings are stolen from under their noses by supporting players Michael Smiley and Rossy de Palma.
The latter, familiar from the many Pedro Almodovar movies in which she’s prominently appeared, nearly manages to save the film.
Set in Paris (which at least provides the opportunity for many gorgeous scenic locations), the story concerns wealthy married couple Bob (Keitel) and the younger Anne (Collette), who have recently moved to a beautiful new manor house.
Unfortunately, the couple are not quite as wealthy as they appear, as Bob has fallen on hard times, which he’s keeping from his glamorous second wife.
Anne’s plan to host a lavish dinner party for their upscale friends becomes upended by the unexpected arrival of Bob’s son Steven (Tom Hughes), a novelist suffering from writer’s block.
Aghast at the idea that the table will now be unluckily seating 13 people, Anne orders their long-time maid, Maria (De Palma), to don a fancy borrowed dress and pretend to be a Spanish noblewoman.
The subterfuge works better than expected, with Maria, overcoming her initial shyness, turning into the life of the party.
She particularly wows the man sitting next to her, David (Smiley), a British art dealer who finds her natural warmth and bubbliness intoxicating. Anne watches their flirtation with growing horror and becomes even more unhinged afterwards when David and Maria become romantically involved. It does inspire her, however, to try spicing up her own sexually starved marriage by dressing up in a sexy maid’s outfit and attempting to seduce her husband.
Director/co-screenwriter Sthers fails to develop the plot in sufficiently amusing fashion.
Anne’s social snobbery renders her attempts to sabotage Maria’s happiness unpleasant rather than amusing, with the result that we’re unable to feel any sympathy for her.
Keitel’s character registers as little more than a cipher and even the besotted new lovers fail to sustain our interest. None of this would matter as much if the writing were sharper, but lines like “vacuum cleaning is the new Pilates” aren’t exactly Oscar Wilde.
De Palma infuses the film with whatever life it has. Smiley is equally engaging. If only the movie had revolved around them. – Hollywood Reporter