2008, France
Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Fast girls, hot parties and a constant bodyguard do not usually surround lawyer Bertrand Beauvois, but a murder case in Monaco changes all that. Writer-director Anne Fontaine examines a life shaken up in the lightly comic film, The Girl from Monaco.
As Bertrand (Fabrice Luchini, Molière) defends a woman who committed a crime of passion (Babette's Feast star Stéphane Audran in a small role), he finds himself entangled in a similar fish-out-of-water relationship. Not one to ignore the ladies, he is usually the one in charge of wooing. However, when he meets the local attraction, he is dumbfounded in the passenger seat.
Le Grand Journal weathergirl Louise Bourgoin debuts on the big screen as titillating Monaco weathergirl Audrey, earning a César nomination for the effort. Sexy and funloving, she has a good time with anyone and everyone -- a choice somehow inspired by the death of Princess Diana. Unsuspecting but fully willing Bertrand allows himself to be netted, despite nagging warnings such as her habit for giving her body to friends on their birthdays. C'est la vie -- the girl is hot and he is bothered.
All the while watching the odd pair is Bertrand's assigned "close protection agent" for the case, Christophe. Cool and unfretted, Barack Obama lookalike Roschdy Zem (Days of Glory) portrays a man who can usually distance himself from emotional affection but who suddenly becomes thrown off balance by the sight of his ex-lover with his new boss. Though he tries to warn Bertrand against heartbreak, his words fall flat on a man under a lustful spell.
An odd parallel builds between naïve love affairs inside and outside of the courtroom, with a surely unexpected ending. As Christophe becomes more aggravated by Bertrand's foolish flights of fancy, he simultaneously feels more obligated to protect his boss and new friend. Bertrand, meanwhile, seems vaguely receptive to the much needed attention, and yet trips over Christophe's good intentions on his way to trouble.
The Girl from Monaco has a good time displaying the many features of Audrey's, ahem, personality. The life of the party is slowed down by nothing, and men have no trouble sharing the goods of a woman who embodies free love. But there is always a little planning behind the party, and Bertrand is a man in need of a lesson. Luckily, some lessons are more fun than others.