Laurent (Alain Chabat) is an estate agent, and a father, married to a Spanish housewife named Loli (Victoria Abril). They have everything to be happy except maybe the main thing: his marital commitment. Indeed, to call Laurent a womanizer is the understatement of the year, with his friend Antoine (Ticky Holgado), they use their professional network as a bait for women, the side effect is that he doesn't have time for his wife and plays the workaholic card so often that it gives her all the reasons to feel neglected. This feeling is accentuated by the fact that he's too exhausted to snuggle.
Then comes Marijo, a truck driver, a butch, played by director Josiane Balasko, she bumps into Loli's house asking for water. Talk about a good timing, Loli needed a plumber. Marijo is obviously attracted by Loli but we need a reason for Loli (who's straight) to feel attracted by Marijo, and being neglected by Laurent isn't enough. This is where Balasko insists on Laurent's womanizing habits at the expenses of realism. He starts the day with a young woman, then meets another one while he's paying his restaurant's bill, meanwhile he asks Antoine to call at 7 pm, so when he's at home, he can use a business call as an excuse. So, even when Loli is jumping at his arms and when he notes that she spent time with a cigar-smoker named Marijo, he still has energy for a third date.
So he lets his wife have a romantic dinner with Marijo and the inevitable happens, one flirting joke leading to another, the connection is made. When Antoine is back, Loli is as libidinous as ever, but he rejects her without even trying. Marijo uses an excuse to come back, and when an aroused Loli opens the door, they have their first kiss. Second round: Marijo invites the couple to a restaurant, Laurent is reluctant but Antoine insists, just for fun, to meet the "freak". Things get sour and evening is ruined when Laurent finds Marijo and Loli having intimate contacts under the table. What happens after is simply revolting, Laurent has the upper hand, so to speak. Marijo is ready to live and Loli is apologetic, but Laurent rejects her in the nastiest way, telling her she disgusts him.
Of course, Loli goes to Marijo's and the day after, they 'conclude'. End of third round. Basically, Laurent had several occasions to keep Loli out of Marijo, but never did. The problem is that his hatred toward Marijo is integral to the full-of-clashes narrative, yet his actions never seem to be consistent with his hatred. Besides, this is a man who should keep a low profile, so why does he keep pushing his luck? Of course, after having sent his wife to Marijo on a silver platter and sexy gown, he finally seals his fate. Another trip with Antoine (and you can guess where both were going) leads to Antoine leaving him to go to Loli's. Then an accidental slip of tongue betrays Laurent. This part is the most dramatic one and it works thanks to the late Ticky Holgado's performance. The poor man just wanted to help his friend but instead, hit the final nail on his coffin, one of the most memorable images I'll keep of the film is the sad Antoine waiting for his friend to come at him.
After that, the film flirts with fantasy, even literally as Loli chooses the ménage à trois with a ridiculous time schedule and this is where the film loses me, with that sequence showing her going from bed to bed (including her children) just to kiss everybody goodnight, and she's so luscious even in her children's bedroom that it's somewhat discomforting. It's like her ego is so flattered she can't face responsibility. But since "French Twist" kept on preaching about gender equality, contradicting Laurent's opinion claiming that men can have sex, it's not about love but desire or joke about sex, because from a women's mouth, it's vulgar. Loli's case seems to prove that a woman has as many desires as a man after all, but we can't help but feel something forced and cliché.
Finally, Loli realizes she's a mother after all and Loli must leave. This had the merit of realism, but then the uninspired writing stroke again. Laurent, after having cleared the air with Marijo and won the game, becomes hostile again. But this is nothing compared to Antoine. After missing him for almost half an hour, we meet him again in a scene too manipulative to be acceptable. A young woman comes to his office. He's startled, doesn't recognize his own daughter, which would have been enough a reason to upset her, but then he flirts with her, and she leaves, proving that her mother was right all along. So, he just saw his chances to see his kids, vanish. Laurent tells him we all have to pay the bill. Which bill? The man didn't see his family for 12 years, what more did he have to pay? I couldn't believe he would flirt with this girl, or wouldn't recognize his daughter, it was written as if the writer had a personal record to settle with guys.
Yet this is nothing compared to the ending, It was totally out-of-character to have Laurent immediately fall in love with a man. Granted he learned a lesson or two about tolerance, I don't think something as deeply rooted as sexuality can evolve 'just like that'. it's not impossible, but given the way Chabat's character was written, it seemed highly implausible and just a twist for a twist... too intelligence-insulting. I guess it's not easy to write believable love triangles because you multiply by three the risk of flawed relationships but the way the story turns into some sort of vaudeville in the second act made these flaws inevitable.
Then comes Marijo, a truck driver, a butch, played by director Josiane Balasko, she bumps into Loli's house asking for water. Talk about a good timing, Loli needed a plumber. Marijo is obviously attracted by Loli but we need a reason for Loli (who's straight) to feel attracted by Marijo, and being neglected by Laurent isn't enough. This is where Balasko insists on Laurent's womanizing habits at the expenses of realism. He starts the day with a young woman, then meets another one while he's paying his restaurant's bill, meanwhile he asks Antoine to call at 7 pm, so when he's at home, he can use a business call as an excuse. So, even when Loli is jumping at his arms and when he notes that she spent time with a cigar-smoker named Marijo, he still has energy for a third date.
So he lets his wife have a romantic dinner with Marijo and the inevitable happens, one flirting joke leading to another, the connection is made. When Antoine is back, Loli is as libidinous as ever, but he rejects her without even trying. Marijo uses an excuse to come back, and when an aroused Loli opens the door, they have their first kiss. Second round: Marijo invites the couple to a restaurant, Laurent is reluctant but Antoine insists, just for fun, to meet the "freak". Things get sour and evening is ruined when Laurent finds Marijo and Loli having intimate contacts under the table. What happens after is simply revolting, Laurent has the upper hand, so to speak. Marijo is ready to live and Loli is apologetic, but Laurent rejects her in the nastiest way, telling her she disgusts him.
Of course, Loli goes to Marijo's and the day after, they 'conclude'. End of third round. Basically, Laurent had several occasions to keep Loli out of Marijo, but never did. The problem is that his hatred toward Marijo is integral to the full-of-clashes narrative, yet his actions never seem to be consistent with his hatred. Besides, this is a man who should keep a low profile, so why does he keep pushing his luck? Of course, after having sent his wife to Marijo on a silver platter and sexy gown, he finally seals his fate. Another trip with Antoine (and you can guess where both were going) leads to Antoine leaving him to go to Loli's. Then an accidental slip of tongue betrays Laurent. This part is the most dramatic one and it works thanks to the late Ticky Holgado's performance. The poor man just wanted to help his friend but instead, hit the final nail on his coffin, one of the most memorable images I'll keep of the film is the sad Antoine waiting for his friend to come at him.
After that, the film flirts with fantasy, even literally as Loli chooses the ménage à trois with a ridiculous time schedule and this is where the film loses me, with that sequence showing her going from bed to bed (including her children) just to kiss everybody goodnight, and she's so luscious even in her children's bedroom that it's somewhat discomforting. It's like her ego is so flattered she can't face responsibility. But since "French Twist" kept on preaching about gender equality, contradicting Laurent's opinion claiming that men can have sex, it's not about love but desire or joke about sex, because from a women's mouth, it's vulgar. Loli's case seems to prove that a woman has as many desires as a man after all, but we can't help but feel something forced and cliché.
Finally, Loli realizes she's a mother after all and Loli must leave. This had the merit of realism, but then the uninspired writing stroke again. Laurent, after having cleared the air with Marijo and won the game, becomes hostile again. But this is nothing compared to Antoine. After missing him for almost half an hour, we meet him again in a scene too manipulative to be acceptable. A young woman comes to his office. He's startled, doesn't recognize his own daughter, which would have been enough a reason to upset her, but then he flirts with her, and she leaves, proving that her mother was right all along. So, he just saw his chances to see his kids, vanish. Laurent tells him we all have to pay the bill. Which bill? The man didn't see his family for 12 years, what more did he have to pay? I couldn't believe he would flirt with this girl, or wouldn't recognize his daughter, it was written as if the writer had a personal record to settle with guys.
Yet this is nothing compared to the ending, It was totally out-of-character to have Laurent immediately fall in love with a man. Granted he learned a lesson or two about tolerance, I don't think something as deeply rooted as sexuality can evolve 'just like that'. it's not impossible, but given the way Chabat's character was written, it seemed highly implausible and just a twist for a twist... too intelligence-insulting. I guess it's not easy to write believable love triangles because you multiply by three the risk of flawed relationships but the way the story turns into some sort of vaudeville in the second act made these flaws inevitable.