Merci la Vie * (1991, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Anouk Grinberg, Michel Blanc, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Gérard Depardieu) – Classic Movie Review 9597

Writer-director Bernard Blier’s 1991 French film Merci la Vie stars an impressive line-up in Charlotte Gainsbourg, Anouk Grinberg, Gérard Depardieu, Michael Blanc, Annie Girardot, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean Carmet, Catherine Jacob and Thierry Frémont.

But, despite the cast, it is an annoying freewheeling, surrealist comedy in which shy schoolgirl Camille (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and liberated, older Joelle (Anouk Grinberg) set off on adventures involving, among others, a doctor (Gérard Depardieu) and a Nazi officer (Jean-Louis Trintignant). They discover sex and the fear of AIDS.

Blier empties his bag of tricks to try to shock and offend us with his ‘daring’ and lack of story, but he did it all much better 20 years earlier in Les Valseuses [Going Places] (1974), also with Depardieu.

Merci la Vie is tiresome, though there is nothing wrong with the performances. Jean Carmet won his second César award as Best Supporting Actor, and Anouk Grinberg (Best Actress) and Catherine Jacob (Best Supporting Actress) were nominated. It was also nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Editing.

Also in the cast are François Perrot, Yves Rénier, Didier Bénureau, Anouk Ferjak, Philippe Clévenot, and Jacques Boudet.

Merci la Vie is directed by Bernard Blier, runs 119 minutes, is made by Ciné Valse, Film Par Film, Orly Films, DD, SEDIF, Films Antenne 2, is released by AMLF (1991) (France) and Artificial Eye (1992) (UK), is written by Bernard Blier, is shot by Philippe Rousselot, is produced by Barnard Marescot and Jean-Louis Livi, is scored by Arno and is designed by Théobald Meurisse.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9597

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