Golpe De Suerte En París

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.

Bored young trophy wife Fanny is happily married (so she thinks) to the soporific, possessive, but wealthy businessman Jean, her second husband who spoils her like a princess as they live the high life in uptown Paris. By chance she runs into old school friend Alain, a divorced writer who, by his own admission, has always carried a torch for her. Things begin innocently enough, but her eventual infidelity calls into question her fulfillment with Jean. The fiftieth yet first official foreign language film from Woody Allen has a storyline that's pretty basic, but slightly elevated by some interesting characters, a fresh-faced cast of French actors, and of course some wonderful scenery, but even with the shock value the finale still isn't very satisfying. **½

Being a fan of Woody Allen's films, I couldn't expect a mediocre film shot in Paris. Paris is the European muse for Allen and some of his most enjoyable films are shot there.

Many have found resemblance to "Match Point" but I disagree: "Coup de Chance" is a wonderful hommage to Claude Chabrol's oeuvre. Here's why; There's a corrupt rich husband with a murky past, a depressed wife longing for romance, and an old friend who storms into her life to spark 'illegal' passion with all that follows.... Need I say more?

But what Allen knows better is to provoke the sympathy for the people who try to follow their heart and change their life to the better and at the end of the day we can all realize that no one knows what the future might bring in life.

Coup de Chance is also a great comment to those arrogant wealthy people who think they control everything and everyone around them until they meet their own Nemesis!

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!

Coup de chance is another masterpiece by Woody, the master of cinema. The cast (Lou de Laâge, Melvin Poupaud, Niels Schneider, and Valérie Lemercier) is absolutely great, the script (Woody) is brilliant, the cinematography (Vittorio Storaro) is gorgeous, and the direction (Woody) is, as always, impecable. This is a movie about love, betrayal, control, and luck. Amazingly written and beautifully shot. A masterpiece (in French) with a flavour of the great French cinema from last century (Truffaut, Lelouch, Godard), with a bit of Hitchcock (you can actually spot a Hitchcock book lying on a shelf in one scene), and with a wonderful soundtrack (jazz from the 60s: Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" and Nat Adderley). No explosions, plastic people or a 200MM budget; just absolutely pure excellent cinema. Bravo, Woody. You are the best! 10/10.