This is a first-rate movie. I've seen it four or five times by now - I am using it in a class - and each time I watch it, I marvel anew at the talent of the two lead actors, two stars of today's French cinema, Lambert Wilson and Fabrice Lucchini, and the quality of the script.

One could summarize it by saying that it is the story of two actors who rehearse for a touring production of Molière's masterpiece, The Misanthrope. One, Serge, played by Lucchini, has become bitter in his lonely retirement. The other, Gauthier, is a financial and romantic success, but wants to accomplish something worthy of his artistic merits as well. In the course of rehearsing the play, both find that the words Molière gave to his misanthropic protagonist, Alceste, allow them to express their own growing hatred of the world around them.

If you don't know the play, I don't know how much of an effect this movie will make. Since the play is one of the classics of French theater, the director and producer could assume that many in their French audience would remember the play from their school days, the way at least some Americans are able to remember something about Hamlet from high school, and so understand what the two male leads are doing. If, because you don't know Molière's play, you can't do that, I don't know what you will get out of this very fine film.

This maybe describes this movie best. It's not outstanding by any means, but it still makes for a decent watch. If you've seen Polanski's recent "Venus in Fur", you can take that movie and have two males in the center instead a male and female. It's all about an upcoming play and who should be cast as which character. Intense dialogues, mind games and a bit betrayal form the core. The two protagonists are played by Fabrice Luchini and Lambert Wilson. The biggest female role is portrayed by Maya Sansa and stands between the two men obviously. The film was written and directed by Philippe Le Guay with Luchini being involved with the writing as well. At the French Oscars, the César Awards, the film scored nominations for writing, the score and also Luchini's lead performance.

All in all, you could describe it as a very French film. If you like these, give it a go. For me personally the scene with the estate agent and the shabby house was pretty funny, the scenes with the broken bicycle not so much. One of the central questions is if Wilson's egocentric character was ready to share the main part in the play. Apart from that, I had my problems with Francesca. In her first scene, she is that stressed-out actor-hating lady in black and right afterward she transforms into that super-nice woman who regrets her past behavior. it just doesn't seem credible to me. Then again, as we see in her final scene, she seems to be extremely fickle. Talking about the end, I would have preferred it to be that very moment when Luchini's character leaves the party and quotes the central character of the play. Could have been more effective that way and I really did not need the final scene with the play taking place. But it's mostly a comedy, not a drama, so it kind of fits I guess, even if it sacrifices some realism (of course he would struggle right there with the text) for cheap laughs and schadenfreude. One thing I liked about though, was that the makers did not go for a happy ending with the two being close friends. Always refreshing to see alternating endings from the traditional "feel-good" stuff, which often seems quite cringeworthy and just for the purpose of fixing everything for good.

All in all, it's 100 fairly entertaining minutes that I would recommend, especially if cinéma francais is exactly your thing.

Even if you've never read a word of Moliere or seen even one minute of one of his plays you should still derive a lot of enjoyment out of this gem. Lambert Wilson and Fabrice Luchini have both appeared in French films that played outside France yet remain little known abroad whereas in France they are household names and deservedly so. The premise of the film is that a once successful actor (Luchini) has retired from the theatre, retreated to the country and has himself, ironically, become more a less a misanthrope. A second actor (Wilson) enjoying nationwide fame on the strength of his playing the eponymous role in a television drama, is anxious to return to his theatrical roots via a revival of Moliere's classic play The Misanthrope. Earmarking the lead role of Alceste for himself he travels to Rochelle to try to persuade Luchini to return to the stage and co-star with him is Philente. The bulk of the film is the marvellous interplay between two great actors at the top of their game actually rehearsing the play tentatively and alternating the two lead roles. It is nothing short of a feast of superb acting and is one to be savoured.