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Gazon maudit (1995)
(aka French Twist)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
A comedy of manipulation and sexual orientation, Gazon maudit happily tramples uninformed prejudice in the pursuit of belly laughs. Happily married, with two young kids, Loli (Victoria Abril) has a wonderful husband and a contented life. However, her husband Laurent (Alain Chabat) can't be that enamoured with his lot because he spends every free moment chasing after women. His position, as a high-class estate agent, is just perfect, from Laurent's perspective, since he can legitimately be alone with clients in empty houses - how convenient! On a sunny summer's day Loli is at home, as usual, when a brightly painted van stutters to a halt outside and the occupant, Marijo (Josiane Balasko), emerges to request assistance. The contrast between butch, no-nonsense Marijo and elegant, refined Loli couldn't be greater yet they quickly find a common ground. In fact they get on so well that Loli invites her guest to dinner, to be served when Laurent returns.

The surprise comes when Laurent does return, already fuming at the hippy-looking van blocking the drive. As soon as he claps eyes on Marijo he blows up, instantly declaiming her as a lesbian and coldly intimating that it's time to leave. We already knew him to be a scum-bag but this is something else, such a minimal level of tolerance for "the diesel" is extraordinary. Fortunately he doesn't have much effect since he's just off for an illicit liaison, thus Marijo ends up staying and talking about her former girlfriends. Loli is undeniably attracted to Marijo, even though she loves men with an equal passion. Eventually Marijo goes on her way, after an all to brief kiss, and Laurent returns in a foul temper. His disposition is not improved when Marijo disturbs them a little while later, all for the sake of saying goodbye to Loli properly.

Marijo has fallen hard for Loli though and, quite able to hold her own against the aggressive Laurent, she manages to persuade them to go out for a meal together. Laurent's partner from the office, Antoine (Ticky Holgado), tags along to crack homophobic jokes with his friend and see the dyke who's causing Laurent so much grief. It's all wasted on Marijo and Loli though, like young lovers they let the distraction wash over them. Interestingly, they're engaging in a bout of mutual foreplay under the table, an occurrence which shocks Laurent to his core. Clearly he's encountering opposition from an unexpected quarter here! Of course, it's all right for Laurent to blatantly cheat but for Loli to do the same? No way! He's sorely mistaken if he believes that Loli and Marijo will relinquish their new found love without a fight though.

Throughly un-politically correct, Gazon maudit spreads its humour so widely that you instantly sense whether you'll love or hate it. Marijo and Laurent really do detest each other, although she gives him the benefit of the doubt early on, and they use all available weapons in their brutal battles over Loli. The crude epithets and cutting remarks fly thick and fast, purely because they both desire Loli and she can't choose between them. However, Gazon maudit succeeds because the characters are more than fountains of insult. Each feels in their own way, despairing of the situation but trapped in their unusual menage-a-trois. Sure, broad farce is the preferred method in this unsubtle french comedy and the story becomes increasingly insubstantial during its second half, but beneath this coarseness lie the dreams of the vulnerable.

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