Since the attendant furore which delivered, on its release, a potent mixture of critical controversy and commercial success, has died down, what actually emerges is little more than a high-spirited, if disappointingly insubstantial bedroom farce.
Balasko, who also wrote and directed, has wisely chosen not to turn this into a politically correct "issues" film, and the first 45 minutes are genuinely entertaining, full of exuberant flirtation and spontaneous humour. Balasko directs the love scenes with a refreshing subtlety, and she and Abril deliver witty and intelligent performances. However, as the central relationships become increasingly complex, the film slowly meanders into farce, with Chabat required to do little more than deliver a series of clumsy slapstick routines.