Jonny, haute-couture: A chaotic, forgotten bit of fluff

Is this for you?

If you like movies where everyone talks at once and people are constantly confused by their own schemes, you’ll probably have a good time with Jonny, haute-couture. If you need a plot that holds together logically, or if you find old-school slapstick annoying, skip it. It’s definitely a film from a time when "fashion house" meant a series of rooms where people could hide behind velvet curtains while someone else yelled in the hallway.

The pacing is honestly all over the place. One minute you’re in a serious office conversation, and the next, there’s a random musical interlude that seems to have wandered in from another project entirely. It’s charming, in a way. It’s also kind of a mess.

The lead, Joseph Nossent, spends a lot of time looking mildly panicked, which is probably the right reaction to have in this specific story. His ability to look confused while wearing a very sharp suit is, frankly, the highlight of the production.

Oddly specific observations

• The way the extras in the background of the fashion show scenes just stand there, completely motionless, is actually kind of creepy.
• There is a door in the main set that squeaks every single time it opens. By the third act, I was actively rooting for the door to just fall off its hinges.
• The lighting changes so drastically during a conversation between Pierre Brasseur and his co-star that it looks like they filmed the two sides of the argument six months apart.

It’s not quite as biting as Ce cochon de Morin, which managed to be mean-spirited in a way that felt earned. This movie is much nicer, maybe a little too nice. It feels like the filmmakers were terrified of offending anyone in the audience.

I found myself thinking about The Girl in the Glass Cage halfway through. That movie had a weight to it that this one completely lacks. But hey, not everything needs to be heavy. Sometimes you just want to watch people in hats walk in circles.

The ending happens so fast I thought I’d skipped a reel. One moment they’re in a jam, and the next, everyone is smiling and waving at the camera. It’s abrupt, bizarre, and honestly? It works for me. 👗