Search - Menage on DVD

One of Betrand Blier's best film ever

03/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"MENAGE or "Tenue De Soiree", as it is called in French is a subtle comedy which will not leave the viewer untouched. A burgler (Depardieu) befriends a spatting couple at a bal, and proceeds to court the husband (Michel Blanc, of "Monsieur Hire") into an intense intimate relationship. What follows is the threesome's adventures through Parisian nights and a variety of situations, one more absurd than the next. The original version is exquisitely written, and the dialogues border on poetry. All the actors demonstrate their talents opposite each other and form an exceptional cast. This film would most likely be listed under "comedies" but it's range encompasses many genres. A definite must see for any fan of Depardieu who is flawless in this film."

Great cynical film

nathalieschon | 11/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The original title of this film is "Tenue de soiree". A very ironic title if you consider the story : two [unsuccessful folks] meet smart guy (Gerard Depardieu) with money and connections. Only problem : the money has dubious origins and the connections are a little too connected to the crime world. Let's not even talk about the sexual depravity of Mr. Smart who offers his new friends the brilliant career of prostitution.
The film is a must not only because of the weird and hilarious story but also for the great lines (a condition of success in French theaters). Who will forget the famous comment : "When I see your gloomy face, I feel like ordering a coffin " ?
This film has become a classic in France. It displays the same black humor as "Le pere Noel est une ordure" (you don't want me to translate this and you don't want to know what happens to Santa Claus).
If you want to discover French cinema, you better get used to Bernard Blier's destructive humor, who spares nobody."

Man's Insecurity

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 04/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Menage"

Man's Insecurity

Amos Lassen


In "Menage" ("Tenue de Soiree"), Gerard Depardieu plays Bob, a bisexual petty criminal who meets a couple entering a bar. He then seduces the wife and then the husband and teaches them to be burglars. They then join him in his criminal world.
It is the swaggering and sexy character Bob who uses his seductive power to get this film going and Depardieu is wonderful. From the moment that he finds Antoine and Monique arguing in a bar, he decides that he wants them both. He rebuilds their lives and they rob with him and sleep with him. Just as he seduces them, he seduces us.
Monique is not as important to Bob as is Antoine and we watch a homophobe (Antoine) become a fully dressed transsexual over the course of the film. The director, Bertrand Biler, seems to have had a lot of fun with this film as he gives us Bob, the manipulator but unfortunately Biler is also a misogynist and it shows throughout the film. The movie looks at a triangle of lovers who sample each other and it comes across as a critique of erotic anarchy which is very funny however Biler has directed this without compunction and what could have been a very good movie seems to be missing something. Nonetheless, Depardieu is wonderful as usual.
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