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L'Homme de Ma Vie (1992)
(aka The Man of My Life)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
The choices for Aimee (Maria de Medeiros), when she loses her job again, are simple. Either she gets another job or she marries a man who can support her in fine style. Since she has just split up with her lover, a married man, Aimee starts a systematic search for a groom. Wearing her mourning clothes, a short and stunning red dress, Aimee first checks out Maurice (Thierry Fortineau), a bookseller. He proclaims himself to be something of a misanthrope, preferring to spend his time with books, but you wouldn't guess this from his charming behaviour with ladies. Maurice's big drawback is that he has no money - in fact he's losing his shop and his flat.

Aimee and Maurice remain friends, because they get on so well, but she must continue her search. Luckily, after a few abortive attempts, Malcolm (Jean-Pierre Bacri) appears. He's a famous restaurant critic with lots of money, important friends and a huge reputation. Aimee decides to marry him immediately, setting Maurice up with her friend Catherine (Anne Letourneau) so that they'll make a foursome. However, the day before the marriage, Aimee turns up at Maurice's flat with the intention of staying the night - she wants to sleep with him just to she what she's missing!

This strange behaviour doesn't prevent the marriage although Malcolm shows the difficult side of his character when he starts arguing with the chef - at the reception. As time passes Aimee tries her best to be the perfect housewife but Malcolm just makes things difficult. He's always out at restaurants, he blows up whenever she moves something and he doesn't get on with her friends. Eventually Aimee asks Maurice for a favour. She's being followed by a private detective and she'd like to provide evidence of adultery - intentionally. The ploy works and Malcolm disappears from the picture.

Watching this movie is a lot like trying to re-animate Frankenstein. Without that essential spark, which L'Homme de Ma Vie doesn't have, the separate bits just don't work together. The script itself is quite reasonable, if a bit slow, and the acting is average but together there is no feeling of depth or past history to the characters. The comedy aspects are occasionally amusing but, for a story which depends on succeeding as an adult farce, the scenes don't contain that element of realism which underlies all great humour. Apart from these drawbacks, though, the movie is quite watchable with Maris de Medeiros providing most of the high points.

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