Sa meilleure cliente is a loud, messy French comedy about a big lie.

Is this worth your time?

If you like 1930s French comedies where people run around and scream a lot, you will have a good time. It is perfect for a lazy afternoon when you want something that doesn't require a lot of brain power. 🛋️

If you hate old-fashioned stage plays that are just filmed on a set, you should probably skip this one. It is very loud and everyone talks over each other constantly.

Sa meilleure cliente starts with a problem we can all get: being broke. Edwige and Gaston open this fancy beauty salon but nobody is coming in. 💸

So, they decide to lie. A lot.

Edwige pretends to be Gaston's mother, claiming she looks young because of their special 'fountain of youth' treatment. It’s a classic farce setup, but man, it gets complicated fast.

Elvire Popesco plays Edwige and she is basically a human hurricane. She has this energy that makes everyone else in the room look like they are standing still. 🌪️

The way she switches between being the 'young' girlfriend and the 'rejuvenated' mother is honestly pretty funny. She’s got this high-pitched laugh that starts to grate on your ears after an hour, but you can’t look away.

I noticed the salon set looks incredibly flimsy. Every time a door slams—and doors slam a lot in this movie—the whole wall seems to shake a little bit. 🚪

There is a scene where the 'customers' start showing up and the logic just flies out the window. Everyone believes this lady is 60 years old just because she says so, even though she clearly looks about 25.

It reminds me a little bit of the chaotic energy in Tomato Omelette, where the plot is just an excuse for people to act crazy.

Gaston, played by René Lefèvre, mostly just looks worried the entire time. I felt bad for him because he’s clearly the only one who realizes how bad this lie is going to end up. 😟

One thing that felt weird was the pacing in the middle. The movie sort of stops for ten minutes so characters can explain things we already saw five minutes ago.

Small things I noticed:

• The makeup they use to try and make people look 'different' is just a lot of powder and very dark lipstick.
• There is a background actor who looks like he forgot his lines and is just staring at the camera in one shot.
• The 'fountain of youth' cream looks suspiciously like plain old cold cream from a jar. 🧴
• The music is very jaunty, maybe too jaunty for some of the scenes.

The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone decided to film on a weekend. It’s not 'cinema' in a big way, but it has a certain charm if you don't take it seriously.

I actually laughed out loud when the real mother figures started showing up. The confusion is so thick you could cut it with a knife. 🍴

Some of the jokes about aging feel a bit mean today, but back then, I guess it was just standard humor. It’s definitely not as weirdly dark as something like Europäisches Sklavenleben, thank god.

The ending happens so fast I almost missed it. One minute everyone is screaming, and the next, it’s just... over. 🎬

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a fun look at how people in 1932 thought advertising worked. Apparently, you just lie until someone gives you money.

If you enjoy seeing Elvire Popesco lose her mind for 80 minutes, give it a watch. Otherwise, maybe just go for a walk instead. 🚶‍♂️