Review of Ah! Si j'étais riche

... liking this one. Let's face it, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi AND Jean-Pierre Darroussin, what's not to like. As it happens 2002 was an excellent year for French cinema so this one was in with some stiff competition but it still holds its own. Plot-wise we're talking flimsy: Darroussin is about to be divorced from Bruni-Tedeschi, he's not having much fun at the office, especially now there's a new head honcho and even more especially when that same head honcho seduces Bruni-Tedeschi who is still, technically, married to Darroussin. Then one day he hits the numbers bigtime, to the tune of 10 mil large. Now he has to go into double-life mode lest Bruni-Tedeschi realizes she is now entitled to 50% of 10 mil. It is, of course, predictable; he buys Château Lafitte by the case, decants it into el plonko bottles only to have them opened at a dinner party, etc. But as I've said before and will doubtless say again the pleasure is not in predicting the plot twists but in delighting in what two consummate artistes bring to those hackneyed situations. It's a soufflé, pure and simple, but if it were a dancer it'd be Astaire than better than which you do not get.