In this candid glimpse into the underside of glamour, Baye stars as Camille, a French demi-celebre whose popularity is on the wane. Once a major French TV and movie star, she's now reduced to eking out an existence by doing promotional events.
It's an erratic subsistence at best, and in this particular but not atypical instance, ''art'' and motherhood once again come into direct conflict -- her weekend to take the kids (Joachim Serreau, Felicie Pasotti) coincides with an obligation to host a rotary club gala in Vichy. Bills piled high against her (bar tabs, long distance phone calls), she has no choice: lug the kids along.
Not surprisingly, they feel they're playing second fiddle once again, a notion obviously oft drummed into their impressionable heads by her discarded ex (Miki Manojlovic).
Juxtaposing moments of utter confusion and helplessness with alternate instances of stellar control and professionalism, writer-director Nicole Garcia has sketched a razor-sharp portrait of a woman gone desperate by trying to balance two contradictory beings: in a telling bed-time version of ''Snow White'' to her toddlers, Camille rails against Snow White as a contemptible creature who tried to please everyone. And, in her heart of hearts, Camille realizes she is pleasing no one.
As the frustrated actress-mother, Baye's performance is superb, both coltish and constricted. She captures the quality that is at once her character's greatest strength as well as her most serious weakness -- an independent spirit. Credit to writer-director Garcia, too, for her obviously perceptive empathy for a woman so torn.
Unfortunately, the sinewy strong script is marred by amateurish technical work; choppy editing, groping camera work as well as a grimly assonant musical score often upset the delicate characterizations.
Director Garcia herself ironically succumbs to the ''Snow White'' syndrome here, seemingly trying to please everyone. ''Weekend'' ends under a sweet-sour, uplifting-depressing, personal-panoramic, solitary-universal sky.
EVERY OTHER WEEKEND
MK2 Productions USA
Alain Sarde Presents
Screenwriter-directorNicole Garcia
With the collaboration ofAnne-Marie Etienne, Philippe Le Guay
Director of photography William Lubtchansky
Sound mixers Jean-Pierre Duret, Jean-Paul
Loublier
Set designer Jean-Baptisecq Poirot
Editor Agnes Guillemot
Music Oswald A'Andrea
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Camille Nathalie Baye
Vincent Joachim Serreau
Gaelle Felicie Pasotti
Adrian Miki Manojlovic
Camille's agentHenri Garcin
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
It's an erratic subsistence at best, and in this particular but not atypical instance, ''art'' and motherhood once again come into direct conflict -- her weekend to take the kids (Joachim Serreau, Felicie Pasotti) coincides with an obligation to host a rotary club gala in Vichy. Bills piled high against her (bar tabs, long distance phone calls), she has no choice: lug the kids along.
Not surprisingly, they feel they're playing second fiddle once again, a notion obviously oft drummed into their impressionable heads by her discarded ex (Miki Manojlovic).
Juxtaposing moments of utter confusion and helplessness with alternate instances of stellar control and professionalism, writer-director Nicole Garcia has sketched a razor-sharp portrait of a woman gone desperate by trying to balance two contradictory beings: in a telling bed-time version of ''Snow White'' to her toddlers, Camille rails against Snow White as a contemptible creature who tried to please everyone. And, in her heart of hearts, Camille realizes she is pleasing no one.
As the frustrated actress-mother, Baye's performance is superb, both coltish and constricted. She captures the quality that is at once her character's greatest strength as well as her most serious weakness -- an independent spirit. Credit to writer-director Garcia, too, for her obviously perceptive empathy for a woman so torn.
Unfortunately, the sinewy strong script is marred by amateurish technical work; choppy editing, groping camera work as well as a grimly assonant musical score often upset the delicate characterizations.
Director Garcia herself ironically succumbs to the ''Snow White'' syndrome here, seemingly trying to please everyone. ''Weekend'' ends under a sweet-sour, uplifting-depressing, personal-panoramic, solitary-universal sky.
EVERY OTHER WEEKEND
MK2 Productions USA
Alain Sarde Presents
Screenwriter-directorNicole Garcia
With the collaboration ofAnne-Marie Etienne, Philippe Le Guay
Director of photography William Lubtchansky
Sound mixers Jean-Pierre Duret, Jean-Paul
Loublier
Set designer Jean-Baptisecq Poirot
Editor Agnes Guillemot
Music Oswald A'Andrea
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Camille Nathalie Baye
Vincent Joachim Serreau
Gaelle Felicie Pasotti
Adrian Miki Manojlovic
Camille's agentHenri Garcin
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 6/18/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.