Petite bonne sérieuse: A messy romp through 1930s manners

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for 1930s French cinema that feels like it’s running on pure caffeine. If you want a tight, logical plot, look elsewhere. If you want to see actors trying to out-yell each other in period costumes, you’re in the right place. ☕

Colette Darfeuil is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She’s got this way of rolling her eyes that tells you exactly how much she hates the script she’s holding. It’s a very specific kind of exhaustion.

The pacing is… well, it’s not really a thing. It just kind of happens in bursts. One minute everyone is standing around looking confused, and the next, someone is sprinting down a hallway for no apparent reason.

It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Tomboy, though with significantly more people tripping over furniture. There’s a scene involving a tray of dishes that goes on for about thirty seconds too long. You can literally see the actor waiting for his cue to drop it.

Why did they keep that take? Who knows. Maybe the director just wanted to go home.

Odd moments that stuck with me

• The lighting in the kitchen area makes everyone look like they’re underwater.
• There’s a cat in the background of the dinner scene that clearly has no interest in being a movie star.
• The sound mixing is so crunchy it sounds like they recorded it in a wind tunnel.

It’s not trying to be a deep meditation on anything. It’s a farce, plain and simple. Sometimes the movie gets better when it stops pretending to have a cohesive plot and just lets the characters argue about absolutely nothing for five minutes straight.

Marguerite Moreno steals the show every time she walks into a room. She’s got this stare that could curdle milk. 🥛

If you enjoy the vibe of old-school stage plays, you might find this fun. If you hate people talking over each other in French, you will probably want to toss your remote through the screen. I get it. It’s not for everyone.

It lacks the grace of something like The Eagle, but there’s something honest about how messy it is. Nobody is trying to win an award here. They’re just trying to get the scene in the can before lunch.