Palais royal!

If a list of the most underrated personalities of French cinema is drawn,Valérie Lemercier would easily figure in it with veteran director Patrice Leconte. About Valérie Lemercier it can be said that she never ceases to amuse critics and viewers in equal measure. Watching her films as an actress as well as a director, one get the feeling that she is not as dumb as she prefers to get depicted. She proves this assertion in her film "Palais Royal". Most people view comedy as a frivolous activity which does not interest serious people. This fallacy is vigorously challenged by leading French actress/director Valérie Lemercier as she establishes that comedy is a highly serious business which can be an enormous aid too in getting key issues heard by a large section of the society. As a comedy film, "Palais Royal" is an innocuous assault on the whims and fancies of a royal family whose members suffer from numerous ethical as well as moral weaknesses. Audiences get to see how the members of a royal family are normal human beings with decent share of vices as well as virtues. Although the film might have been covertly influenced by the travails of the English royal family, incidents and situations portrayed in this film are products of an original scenario.Lastly, apart from Lambert Wilson and Valérie Lemercier, actors such as Mathilde Seigner, Gilbert Melki and Catherine Deneuve do give proper attention to their roles.