L'amant de Madame Vidal: A bit of silly, old-fashioned mess

Is this worth the hour?

If you like your comedies light, French, and slightly chaotic, you might have a good time here. It’s definitely not for anyone looking for grit or deep stakes. If you hate movies where the entire plot relies on someone being a bit of a dingbat, keep walking.

The whole premise is just a giant house of cards. Catherine thinks her husband is a cheater, so she hires a guy to pretend to be her lover. Because that makes total sense, right? 🙄

Elvire Popesco is the engine here. She plays Catherine with this frantic energy that makes you want to both laugh and hand her a glass of water to calm down. She’s delightful, even when the script is barely holding itself together.

There is a specific scene where the "hired lover" has to hide, and the staging is so cramped it feels like they’re all going to bump into the furniture. It’s got that stage-play stiffness, but it’s kind of endearing in a dusty, old-school way.

Honestly, the husband isn't even doing anything wrong. He’s just sitting there being a husband. The movie knows it's being silly, which saves it from being frustrating.

It’s a bit like watching Don't Flirt but with less subtlety and more running around in hallways. The timing isn't always sharp, and some of the side characters feel like they wandered in from a completely different set.

I found myself staring at the wallpaper in one shot. It’s got this weird floral pattern that probably cost a fortune in 1930s money, but it just looks distracting now. Not that it matters, but it’s those little things that stick with you.

Does the ending earn its keep? Maybe not. It wraps up exactly how you think it will, with a few predictable sighs and a shrug. But for a quick bit of distraction, it’s not the worst way to kill an afternoon. It’s fluffy. Sometimes that’s enough. 🥂