Films/DVD Asylum

'Elle': Dramedy is too glib to describe . . .

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This film about a strong-willed woman who owns a video game business in Paris and does hilarious battle with her eccentric mother, her idiot son and insane almost daughter-in-law, and with her ex-husband she secretly misses. Huppert plays Michele LeBlanc who has a razor wit and a bullwhip tongue that goes with it. She is merciless with all the people in her life and the humor is quite good. But, the movie opens with her rape! A masked man jumps through her open door and savages her on the floor. Alas, it sounds as if Michele might have enjoyed it a bit.

The film revolves around Michele being raped again by the same man and her efforts to find him on her own without the help of the police. She's tough and doesn't have time for them. It is the characters that orbit her life that brings the chuckles in abundance. There are a lot of things there to giggle about.

This is the kind of role Huppert was made for. I have always been fascinated with her delivery and the infinite amount of facial expressions she can reel off from line to line. The rest of the cast is quite good and I was surprised this was a Verhoeven film. Imagine 'Basic Instinct' without the overt sexuality and with plenty of humor.

I enjoyed it and it's the best role Huppert has had in quite a while.

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