Beloved French veterans spice up this frothy love triangle
RIVIERA REVENGE
★★★½
M. 94 minutes. In cinemas
Riviera Revenge is French cinema at its frothiest, with three of its most beloved veterans leading the dance. Sabine Azéma and André Dussollier are cast as Annie and Francois, a couple whose 50- year marriage is based on her willingness to put up with his prejudices.
A retired general, he's prone to injecting military attitudes and routines into their family life, as we see during the opening scene at Annie's birthday lunch when he junks a chorus of Happy Birthday in favour of celebrating her with his own rewritten version of the La Marseillaise.
His eldest son, Amaury (Gael Giraudeau), who has followed him into the army, cheerfully sings along, but Amaury's siblings, Adrien (Sebastien Chassagne) and Capucine (Joséphine De Meaux) can only hang their heads and look glum.
Shortly afterwards, however, Francois' world comes crashing down around his own head with his discovery of a bundle of love letters revealing a fling that Annie had with one of their friends 35 years earlier.
Writer-director Ivan Calbérac, who is also a playwright, came up with his script after reading a news report about a 92-year-old Sicilian who became Italy's oldest divorcee when he split with his wife of many years after a similar revelation. Calbérac decided that an adaptation of the story could be perfect for Azéma and Dussollier, who have played husband and wife on screen no less than 10 times.
And as Boris, the third member of the love triangle, he settled on the suave Thierry Lhermitte, whose own long career has centred on his mastery of the comedy of manners.
When confronted with the letters, Annie responds with a perfect Gallic shrug and says it all happened so long ago that she can barely remember it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
11 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Kate quietly holds A-list meeting after abruptly pulling out of Royal Ascot
IN LONDON Kate has made a quiet return to work with a very A-list meeting after cancelling her appearance at Royal Ascot. Royal-watchers were left disappointed earlier this week after it emerged that she'd had to cancel her scheduled appearance in the royal carriage procession alongside the King, Queen and Prince William at the iconic raceground, after also missing it last year due to her cancer treatment. Just days later, it's now emerged that Kate, 43, has privately resumed work duties, meeting with philanthropist Melinda Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft founder and billionaire, Bill Gates, at Windsor Castle. Kate – alongside her husband – met with the Microsoft founder's ex. Picture: Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP Gates is a well-known philanthropist. Picture: Ludovic Marin/AFP According to the Court Circular, which records royal engagements, she was joined by William for the June 25 meeting. The exact details of their discussion have not been disclosed, but according to Hello magazine, the Prince and Princess of Wales 'represented their Royal Foundation at the meeting, which focuses on areas including the early years and mental health'. Despite being on a positive trajectory since announcing her gradual return to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy, there were concerns on Wednesday when Kate pulled out of the racing event at the last minute. She had already been listed to travel in the second carriage of the royal procession, alongside her husband. She appeared alongside her children in the carriage procession for Trooping the Colour recently. Picture: AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali However, a short time later it was confirmed by Kensington Palace that Kate would not be attending, with local media reporting she was 'disappointed' but was having to 'find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements'. Despite pulling out of Ascot, Kate still had plenty of high-profile appearances last week, including Trooping the Colour and the Order of the Garter ceremony. The princess at last week's Order of the Garter ceremony. Picture: Yui Mok –She's not expected to be seen publicly over the next few days, but is likely to turn up at Wimbledon, which kicks off on Monday. It's also understood she'll take part in events associated with the French President and First Lady's state visit to the UK early next month. Back in January, she revealed she was in remission from cancer, which she had first publicly disclosed last March. Last September, she released an emotional video message, featuring personal footage of herself with William and their three children, opening up about the challenges they'd all been privately battling – but also proudly announced she had completed her treatment. Originally published as Kate quietly holds A-list meeting after abruptly pulling out of Royal Ascot
Sky News AU
15 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez celebrate 'wedding of the century' in Venice, Italy, with their A-list friends
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez have exchanged vows in Venice as they celebrated their wedding with dozens of their A-list friends. Days of build up led to the big moment for the couple on Friday afternoon (local time) as they emerged separately from a luxurious hotel in the Floating City's Grand Canal. Sanchez, 55, stepped out from a large tent set up outside the Aman hotel and waved to onlookers and the world's paparazzi before she boarded a sleek motor boat. The former journalist wore a short-sleeved, cream, fitted skirt suit, with shades and a head scarf to protect her from the blistering summer sun, Reuters reported. Bezos, 61, appeared about two hours later in a black tuxedo and also hopped on a vessel for a short trip to the small island of San Giorgio Maggiore where festivities were held. The couple's VIP guests, who were staying at luxury hotels across Venice, then all departed for the event which has been dubbed as the "wedding of the century". Among the celebrities in attendance included actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom, singers Usher and Ellie Goulding, as well as the Kardashian-Jenner reality family. NFL legend Tom Brady, Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, Bill Gates, and Queen Rania of Jordan were also present. Guests were heavily protected by security guards during festivities. Later at San Giorgio, Bezos and Sanchez exchanged vows in a 25-minute ceremony, which will have no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters. It suggests the couple may have already legally wed in the United States before flying to Venice, avoiding the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. Guests were heard cheering and clapping after the pair said "I do". A choir then sung Whitney Houston's Higher Love. Then the reception kicked off to the background of Matteo Bocelli, the son of Andrea Bocelli, singing Elvis' 'I Can't Help Falling in Love With You'. According to the Daily Mail, the guests then dined on a $2,000-a-head menu before concluding with a show-stopping cake by renowned French pastry chef Cédric Grolet. The festivities, estimated to cost around AUD$76 million, will culminate on Saturday with a party where reports Lady Gaga and Elton John are set to perform. Bezos and Sanchez have drawn local and global attention after they flew into the Floating City this week ahead of a three-day extravaganza to celebrate their love in Italy. Festivites began on Thursday night in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto. "This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," the bride and groom said on their wedding invitation, in which they asked for "no gifts" and pledged charity donations for three Venetian institutions. Their donations are worth AUD$5.4 million. There has been anger among some locals and local activists of Bezos' presence. Giulia Cacopardo, a 28-year-old representative of the "No Space for Bezos" movement, complained that the needs of ordinary people were being neglected in a city that is a tourist magnet and fast depopulating largely due to the soaring cost of living. Venice's city centre has less than 50,000 residents, compared to almost 100,000 in the late 1970s. "When you empty a city of its inhabitants, you can turn it into a stage for big events. (But) the money that Bezos spends on this wedding does not end up in the pockets of Venetians. The owners of luxury hotels are not Venetians," she told Reuters. Ms Cacopardo was one of 30-40 activists who staged a protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday, chanting "We are the 99 per cent" as a masked couple posed as bride and groom and one man climbed a pole to unfurl a banner reading: "The 1% ruins the world." Bezos' net worth is estimated to be more than USD$225 billion, after creating Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce, cloud computing and digital streaming company. The anti-Bezos front is also planning a march on Saturday, and their activities have already led local authorities to step up security and move the location of the closing party to a more secluded part of Venice, the Arsenale former shipyard. Charlotte Perkins, an Australian tourist, said she could understand the locals' resentment at their city being treated as a celebrity playground. "I'd probably feel the same if I lived here," she said. But politicians, hoteliers and some other Venice residents are happy about the wedding, saying such events do more to support the local economy than the multitudes of day-trippers who normally overrun the city. -with Reuters
Courier-Mail
21 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Kate quietly holds A-list meeting after abruptly pulling out of Royal Ascot
Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News. IN LONDON Kate has made a quiet return to work with a very A-list meeting after cancelling her appearance at Royal Ascot. Royal-watchers were left disappointed earlier this week after it emerged that she'd had to cancel her scheduled appearance in the royal carriage procession alongside the King, Queen and Prince William at the iconic raceground, after also missing it last year due to her cancer treatment. Just days later, it's now emerged that Kate, 43, has privately resumed work duties, meeting with philanthropist Melinda Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft founder and billionaire, Bill Gates, at Windsor Castle. Kate – alongside her husband – met with the Microsoft founder's ex. Picture: Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP Gates is a well-known philanthropist. Picture: Ludovic Marin/AFP According to the Court Circular, which records royal engagements, she was joined by William for the June 25 meeting. The exact details of their discussion have not been disclosed, but according to Hello magazine, the Prince and Princess of Wales 'represented their Royal Foundation at the meeting, which focuses on areas including the early years and mental health'. Despite being on a positive trajectory since announcing her gradual return to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy, there were concerns on Wednesday when Kate pulled out of the racing event at the last minute. She had already been listed to travel in the second carriage of the royal procession, alongside her husband. She appeared alongside her children in the carriage procession for Trooping the Colour recently. Picture: AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali However, a short time later it was confirmed by Kensington Palace that Kate would not be attending, with local media reporting she was 'disappointed' but was having to 'find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements'. Despite pulling out of Ascot, Kate still had plenty of high-profile appearances last week, including Trooping the Colour and the Order of the Garter ceremony. The princess at last week's Order of the Garter ceremony. Picture: Yui Mok –She's not expected to be seen publicly over the next few days, but is likely to turn up at Wimbledon, which kicks off on Monday. It's also understood she'll take part in events associated with the French President and First Lady's state visit to the UK early next month. Back in January, she revealed she was in remission from cancer, which she had first publicly disclosed last March. Last September, she released an emotional video message, featuring personal footage of herself with William and their three children, opening up about the challenges they'd all been privately battling – but also proudly announced she had completed her treatment. Originally published as Kate quietly holds A-list meeting after abruptly pulling out of Royal Ascot
