Nathalie... (2003)

When I saw that the three leads in this French flick were Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, and Gerard Depardieu, I was sure it would be a winner.  But I've been wrong before.  Not that it wasn't well-acted and interesting in part, but it was poorly paced and I could see the twist coming from way off.  Ardant and Depardieu have been married for years and their relationship seems to be cooling, especially when she discovers that he has been casually unfaithful.  So she decides to hire Beart, a part-time prostitute working at a "private" club, to seduce her husband and report back on both his behaviour and what turns him on; which Beart procedes to do in extremely graphic terms.  The fact that Ardant is by profession a gynecologist might explain her interest in adopting such a highly unlikely approach to her marriage, but I don't see it. As she and Beart become more involved in each other's lives, I half expected some lesbian overtones, but this was not the focus of the film.  On a positive note I must add that Beart who one remembers fondly from "Manon des Sources" is still outstandingly gorgeous and that Ardant remains a very handsome woman.  Despardieu was very definitely the minor and least-rounded character (except around the middle!).