leplatypus As i liked miss Dequenne in "Rosetta" a long time ago upon recommendation of a Greek friend, i picked this movie. But as her filmography was just beginning, i didn't get a lot of choices either.Actually, i realized that this movie could pass for my future as it tells the story of a sad mature single man in Paris. Outside his work, he has a very limited social life. His decision to hire a help woman leads him to find and use his love box and find happiness again.This speaks to me and thus the movie become personal. This was my town (paris), my life (loner), my trait (grumpy) but this was also my heart (generous). I think it was a great plot to have a break in country because it brings more light and more shine in their romance.A good french film, albeit it is forbidden for deaves with its lack of subtitles and the piano soundtrack is really horrible!

B24 But still a very good example, structurally, of a short story made into a full-length film.As fantastic as the premise involved in a May-December romance may be, there is enough here to suggest a very common experience any middle-aged single man of reasonable looks and standing in life has encountered from time to time. Namely, it is not at all uncommon, whether in France or any other country, for young women to be attracted to older men. The cause is almost unimportant -- it just does happen.Where this filmed short story finds its climax and denouement is in the equally common realization at some critical point that such a "menage" (to echo the French title) is at best fragile and unlikely to sustain itself for long. That point here is the protagonist's cramping up at the very worst possible time, just when it seems possible he could take a new course that holds the promise of resolving the tangle he has got himself into.Sure, it's a simple film, very low budget -- but the beauty of it is how nearly perfectly it progresses as a story from beginning to end. Proof that a French film can be subtle and engaging without being complex at the same time.

George Parker He's 50ish, contended being recently single, and in need of a housekeeper for his small bachelor flat in Paris. She's young, beautiful, deliciously jiggly, most accommodating in every way, and in need of work. He hires her as a part time housekeeper and she slowly insinuates herself into his life while he simply enjoys her, keeping things in perspective in a most mature way. "The Housekeeper" is a delightful for-men-only slice of life flick which is a sweet little tonic for the male midlife crisis. Go ahead, guys. Admit you're human and enjoy. (B)

cestmoi A tender, surprising little film with superb performances, fine writing, good filmic qualities, and a superb music script, Une Femme... touches the veiwer, provides laughs, allows self-recognition, and shows the relative maturity of the experienced against the unintended heartlessnes of the young in a sophisitcated society. Very French. The man is intellectually prepared but still has to deal with the emotions of loss, despite the utterly ill-suitedness of his new love. The girl's neediness for approval and "love" demands his response, to which his kind and needy heart does what we expect.A perfect slice of life as has defined French film for so long. Happily. And well. Chapeaux