How do you solve a problem like Suzanne Pujol’s? She’s the perfect wife and mother, living the idealistic life in the high society of 1970s France when a woman’s place was supposedly in the home, rather than the working world – and yet, she strives for more, even going so far as to use her industrialist husband’s health issues as a way to stake her claim in areas of the culture that were previously left untrodden by people like her – and finally, the “potiche” (an informal way of referring to the concept of a trophy wife) has her moment of glory, but not without encountering a few challenges. This is the foundation for Potiche, which was brought to the screen by the iconoclastic François Ozon, who was, in turn, adapting the stage play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, a classic comedy-of-errors that tells the story of a wealthy woman seeking a place at the table, only to be met with considerable criticism by those who don’t believe that her experience or credentials warrant their attention. Drawing inspiration from several of his artistic heroes in the formation of this hilarious and irreverent social comedy, Ozon works hard to add nuance to a text that could otherwise be viewed as extremely slight without the right execution. On the surface, we don’t necessarily expect much from Potiche, but the promise of a great cast and one of the director’s more unconventional voyages into levity is enough to draw our attention – mercifully, the film has the heart and humour to warrant holding it, which only leads to a more spirited, dedicated piece of storytelling that is a lot more interesting than we’d expect from a cursory glance, being yet another instance of Ozon surprising us when we least expect it. 

Ozon doesn’t often make comedies – at this point, he’s operating at around one per decade, normally keeping his attention on crafting delicate melodramas, with the occasional foray into new genres, many of them having some degree of humour, but not to the point where we can classify him as a director known for his comedic touch, despite having made a couple of fascinating ones throughout his career. Potiche is one of the rare instances where he surrenders entirely to the comedic form, taking the source material and forming it into a riveting film about unconventional connections formed by a woman who dared to ask for me than she (and many others) were previously offered. This kind of story would simply not work nearly as well had it been done more dramatically, so it only makes sense that Ozon would extract the lighthearted nature of the original text, along with the storyline, which is undeniably symbiotic, and pivotal to its success as a whole. Unlike some of his other films (where his reverence for the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Jean Renoir and, most importantly, Douglas Sirk was extremely evident), the inspiration behind this film, outside of the original text, is slightly less-obvious. It has the garish colours of Pedro Almodovar, and the forthright disdain for suburban malaise (and wicked sense of humour) of John Waters – and yet, it still feels quintessentially the work of the director himself, being a well-constructed dark comedy that may be much lighter than his typical fare, but has his distinctive touch, which entailed not directly adapting the play, but rather using it as the guideline for his unique exploration of certain issues, requiring the expansion on an already vivid and interesting world, which proves how Ozon could elevate even the finest material when given the opportunity.

This is particularly clear in how he constructs the characters, as well as the methods he takes in casting the right people to bring these roles to life. Ozon has rarely been someone who has had trouble assembling memorable casts, especially later in his career, as he had established himself as one of the major talents of his generation. Potiche has some of his most interesting colleagues working with him, with the ensemble being commanded by the mighty Catherine Deneuve, whose performance as the titular “trophy wife” is one of the most charming of the actress’ career in recent years. As one of the most endearing performers of the past half-century, Deneuve frequently turns in strong work, which is normally the result of the beautiful combination of her incredible screen presence and penchant for constructing memorable characters from the most paltry sources. In the hands of a lesser performer, the role of Madame Pujol would have likely been nothing more than an amusing diversion for an older actress – but with Deneuve at the helm, it feels like a genuinely interesting development, almost being too complex for the humble comedic roots of the story. She’s joined by two equally iconic French stars, namely Fabrice Luchini (as her pernickety husband) and Gérard Depardieu (as their town’s eccentric deputy mayor, and one of Suzanne’s many lovers from the past). Luchini is incredibly funny with a limited role, playing the part of the film’s villain with a kind of earnest sleaziness that we don’t often see from actors of his calibre, while Depardieu, who is someone who has collaborated with Deneuve on many occasions, proves how (in spire of his troubles) he is a magnetic actor, capable of forging chemistry with nearly anyone. Ozon gives his entire cast memorable work to do, even those in slightly smaller roles, such as Karin Viard and Jérémie Renier, who would be otherwise considered afterthoughts in the hands of any other director. It strengthens the film, and makes the nuances embedded in the story even more noteworthy, leading to a much richer experience.

However, Potiche is not without its flaws, many of the film’s problems come from the fact that the journey a text takes from the stage to the screen is far from seamless in the vast majority of instances and that it takes much more than a large budget and dedicated cast to bring it to life without the stage origins being obvious. In comparing the original play with this film, we can see Ozon was not afraid of exercising his artistic liberties – the climactic moments of the source material (whereby the now-recovered husband returns to his factory to take back the reigns of the business he was forced to leave in the hands of his wife) is now just a transition into the entirely new third act, which sees the director adding a whole new narrative component to an already very rich and layered story. For a film that runs at just over 90 minutes, having so many storylines packaged together can be slightly perilous, since the nature of the narrative requires everything to be tied up by the end – there’s very little space for loose ends in a film like Potiche, so introducing new ideas on the multitude of existing themes was not the wisest choice. However, it didn’t entirely derail the film, it just added unnecessary strain, which Ozon patches up with seemingly very little effort (and in some ways may have even provided us with a much stronger ending), but the tension of figuring out whether we’d get the resolution we crave, or if Ozon is going to end this film on a more bewildering note, as he is known to do from time to time, becomes slightly distracting. It doesn’t help that the shift between genres doesn’t work particularly well in isolation – the exuberant comedy doesn’t quite mesh with the more melodramatic aspects of the romance between Deneuve and Depardieu, which can sometimes take us out of the film and make us wonder what the intention of including these scenes was in the first place, the answer only coming towards the end, when everything falls into place. If there is a lesson to be found in Potiche, it is that Ozon is always in control, so while these may seem like flaws, they’re merely just the director playfully manipulating form and content, which is one of his most distinct tendencies as a contemporary filmmaker.

Potiche is a decent film that readily approaches being good, but falls short of greatness consistently. However, it has received a fair share of acclaim in its way, being considered a fine entry into Ozon’s extensive career, one that is not well-remembered, but in an entirely justifiable way, especially when we’re looking at a filmmaker who has produced work of impeccable quality at such an alarming rate, anything even mildly subpar is going to feel inferior in one way or another. This film has received the attention it deserves, and it is not an enormous injustice that it is considered a more minor effort from the director who is constantly working to produce works that reflect both his artistic curiosities and distinct worldview, neither of which is particularly strong in Potiche, but not for a lack of trying, since it does do its best to be an entertaining and endearing comedy about familial drama and a range of other issues that are introduced throughout the film, but never really come to fruition in a way that feels genuine. It’s a fine and worthy film that bears the director’s name, but nothing much else. The cast is terrific, and they turn in strong performances, and the writing is genuinely very good, if not slightly predictable, much like the story it’s telling. As a whole, Potiche is mostly a film that will be enjoyed by those already invested in the director’s work (or those simply trying to make their way through his unexpectedly long career), but even for first-time viewers of Ozon’s cinema, there is value to be found in every frame, which only makes this an even more charming film, even if it is not all that essential when we are looking at it from afar, a good place to assess a lot of his more experimental works.