Ein Glücksfall

I've been waiting for quite a long while for Woody to say something new. To be completely honest, it's not all that new, Woody himself had said more than once in his writing. But he never made a movie saying it so bluntly. And after a decade of repeating movies he did before, it's a breath of fresh air.

The acting is spot on, even if it does feel like his French people are in fact New Yorkers speaking with a weird accent. All the technical aspects were never an issue in Woody's movies. I'm not saying it's perfect, but it's a fun movie, and a good pastime. And I do like seeing Luo De Laage, ever since I saw her in Les Innocentes.

Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud) have everything of the ideal couple: fulfilled in their professional life, they live in a magnificent apartment in the beautiful districts of Paris and seem to be in love as on the first day. But when Fanny crosses, by chance, Alain (Niels Schneider) , a former high school friend, she is immediately capsized. Fanny falls for her charms and soon her encounters stop being so casual. They see each other again very quickly and get closer and closer. As two young people's bond leads to marital infidelity and ultimately crime. Meanwhile, Fanny's mother Camille (Valérie Lemercier) discovers some clues and surprising events that show that things are not as they seem to be.

¨Exciting, dramatic, and also sinister", is how the great New York director Woody Allen defines his 50th film. He directs this ironic black comedy full of criminal intrigue and numerous plot twists , which he himself compared to his successful film "Match Point". The film is shot entirely in French, here Allen recovers common themes from his writing such as infidelity, death, romantic intrigue, murder or luck, as well as his usual characters full of contradictions, which he frames within the carefree and idle Parisian upper class.

Lou de Laage (¨Les innocentes¨¨Mad Women's Ball) plays competently Fanny, a rich, happily married Parisian, whose life takes a turn when she accidentally crosses paths with Alain, an old high school classmate well played by Niels Schneider, while the third in contention is Melvil Poupaud. Lou de Laage stars in an acceptable but somewhat unknown cast, compared to other Allen films in which big stars, either American or from other countries, usually appear, however they all give decent performances. This is one of his last films in which Allen usually shoots abroad such as France or Spain and which are usually financed by companies from the countries where it is shot in order to internationally promote the cities in which it takes place.

In ¨Coup de chance¨(2023) excels the colorful and luminous cinematography by the great Vittorio Storaro, the prestigious cameraman working from the 60s and providing luxurious color to all the films he has made. This comedy-thriller is full of attractive and pleasant and also somewhat ridiculous situations, being adequately written and directed by Woody Allen. Hauled by some as Allen's triumphant return to his old stylings .In his beginnings Woody made generally hilarious films in which he often acted, such as: "What's Up, Tiger Lily?", "Take the money and run", "Pussycat, Pussycat I Love You", "Sleeper", "Everything You always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask¨, among others. Later he created several masterpieces. Including a series of films in which he provided good direction, putting enough care, wit and warmth, such as : ¨Crimes and misdemeanors¨, ¨New York stories¨, ¨September¨, ¨Radio Days¨, ¨Hanna and her sisters¨, ¨Broadway Danny Rose¨, ¨Zelig¨, ¨Stardust memories¨, ¨A midsummer Night's Sex Comedy¨, ¨Interiors¨, ¨Purple rose of Cairo¨, ¨Manhattan¨, ¨Annie Hall¨, ¨Melinda Melinda¨ and many others . Rating: 6.5/10. Better than average. The film will appeal to fans of Woody Allen's films. Well worth seeing.

I really miss the typical humor of Woody Allen because of the language barrier. When I watch his movies, it's not just about comedy; it's like you can almost picture Woody Allen standing there, finding the humor in human mistakes and laughing along with us. "Coup de Chance" isn't a huge departure from his usual style, but it's more lively and enjoyable than his recent films. The cast is sharp and energetic, showing that he can direct well in French. Everyone looks like they're having a great time in this light-hearted comedy that unexpectedly takes a darker turn. Woody Allen tells a funny story in a simple way, mixing detective-style drama with city romance. The outcome is a clever and amusing spoof created in a laid-back manner.

The new Woody film is neither a masterpiece nor is it bad - as some reviews here seem to claim. It is actually better than some of his recent films (i.e "Autumn in NY"). Parts of it reminded me of "Scoop" or even of the masterpiece that is "Manhattan Murder Mystery". Unfortunately without the humour and star actors of his older films. Although acting is decent and photography, script and directing are even better- it misses the quality and sparks that great stars have brought to Allen's films in the past turning a small-talk scene into something brilliant and funny or a personal impasse into tragedy.

For Allen fans it is very pleasant entertainment with some Hitchcockian touches and a nice Paris-in-the-autumn atmosphere.

The underlying "philosophical" motif of beleiving or not in the power of chance in life is rather superficially dealt with, rehashing the ideas of "Matchpoint". The ending could be more developed while the whole film seems at places to work on auto-pilot following similar plots of his previous films. However, as the "captain" here happens to be one of the greatest living directors who - despite his old age and the witch hunt against him- continues to offer us one film per year I can only say, thanks again Woody!

I was waiting for the opportunity to see Woody Allen again. I am happy I did. «Coup de chance» is very much in line with what we are used to have from W. Allen, and yet there is something new, namely, the way the film underlines the conflict between self-control and the power of chance, between honesty and the drive for control, between intelligence and the demands of the heart.

Woody Allen is a very skilled filmmaker, and yet you can see signs of repetitiveness. TO me, this was not a disturbance, but rather a confirmation of the Allen cinematographic stile. «Coup de chance» is very well constructed and the end is amazingly surprising. The way the movie ends is a lesson in itself. I enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it to others. I am more interested in the substance of the work than in its entertainment value. Either way, the viewer will not be deluded. Yet, the viewer is requested to further think once the movie is over. Like this, I would like to see more from Woody Allen. I hope I will!