Why the butler in Weaker Sex (1933) is my new hero

Is it worth your time?

If you like fast-talking French people and snarky servants, you should watch this today. It is great for a lazy afternoon when you want to feel a bit fancy but also want to laugh at people who have too much money. 🥂

Who will hate it? Honestly, if you can't stand subtitles or movies where nothing 'blows up,' just skip it. It's basically people in nice clothes talking in rooms for ninety minutes.

The Butler is the Whole Movie

I have to talk about Victor Boucher first. He plays Antoine, the butler, and he is incredible.

He has this face that looks like he’s constantly smelling something slightly bad, but he’s too polite to mention it. He’s the confidant for everyone in the house, which means he knows exactly who is cheating on who and who is broke.

There is a moment where he is pouring wine and just stares at the back of a young man's head with so much judgment. It’s funnier than any of the actual jokes in the script.

He reminds me of the cleverness you see in Half a Man, but with way more class. Antoine doesn't need to do slapstick; he just raises an eyebrow and the scene is over.

Rich People Problems

The mother, Madame Leroy-Gomez, is played by Marguerite Moreno. She is like a human whirlwind.

She is trying to marry off her kids like they are horses she’s trying to sell at an auction. It’s all very dramatic and she waves her hands around a lot.

Her daughter is actually pretty smart, which makes the 'Weaker Sex' title feel like a big sarcastic joke. The men in this movie are mostly useless.

They trip over rugs and get confused by simple questions. It’s a bit like the chaos in Daffy House, but everyone is wearing tuxedos instead of looking like cartoons.

Specific Weird Stuff I Noticed

• The furniture in this palace is huge. People look like toddlers sitting in those giant velvet chairs.
• There is one scene where a character enters a room and almost trips on a cord, but they just kept filming. I love that.
• The lighting in the library is weirdly dark. It looks like they were filming a horror movie like Der stumme Zeuge for about five minutes, then they remembered it was a comedy.
• One of the sons has a mustache that is definitely too small for his face. It looks like a little lost caterpillar. 🐛

A Bit Too Much Talking?

Sometimes the movie gets stuck. People stand in a circle and talk for ten minutes about a wedding that we don't even care about yet.

It’s not as slow as In Defense of a Nation, but it’s close in some parts. You can tell it was based on a play because nobody ever leaves the house.

I wish they had gone outside more. Paris is beautiful, but we just see the same three hallways over and over.

But then Antoine comes back on screen and fixes the rhythm. He has this way of walking that is almost like he's gliding on ice.

"In this house, the heart is a guest that never pays rent." — I think that was a line, or maybe I just imagined it because it fits the vibe so well.

Final Thoughts on the Vibe

It’s a very lucid movie, like the plot says. It knows these people are ridiculous.

The ending is a bit of a mess. Everything gets solved in about two minutes because someone says 'I do' and then the music swells.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s got a lot of heart. Or maybe it just has a lot of style.

If you’ve seen Mickey the Romeo and thought, 'I wish this was more French and had more champagne,' then this is your film. 🍾

I’m glad I watched it, even if I forgot half the characters' names five minutes after it ended. Sometimes a movie is just about the way a butler folds a napkin.

Didja notice?

• The phone rings three times and nobody answers it in one scene. Just let it ring, I guess?
• The actress Suzanne Dantès has some incredible earrings. They look like they weigh five pounds each.
• There's a dog that appears for three seconds and then is never seen again. Where did the dog go?