Paul and Michelle

I finally saw Paul & Michelle this weekend. A little Googling revealed that it can be found in streaming form. I had been looking for it since I saw 'Friends' around a decade ago. I searched that one out mainly because of the Elton John soundtrack. The song 'Friends' is actually an Elton & Bernie classic that has somehow slipped under the radar. Part of the reason probably being that the Friends album went out of print and it took a couple decades for it to finally make it on an official digital release (Rare Masters, 1992). All that aside, I watched 'Friends' and enjoyed the Elton music and of course the beauty of the Michelle character. It is very obvious that Anicée got the role on her looks alone. Her acting is pretty terrible but there is a sweetness to it, so we can cut her some slack. The 1970s were obviously a different time. In 2019 we certainly have controversial movies but members of the busybody community now totally overreact to coming-of-age films. But in 'Paul & Michelle' the characters are three years older and the taboo feel of the first film disappears. Anicée is still a lousy actress but she is featured nude multiple times, which will please those who appreciate such things. The story is unremarkable and rather cliche, but it does work. It has a genuine feel to it and it has heart, although there are corny moments that will make you laugh.

I do wonder if there were plans to make a sequel to this sequel. Three years later would have been 1977 and we could see Paul & Michelle getting into the disco scene. Or maybe they could have waited a decade and the new film could feature a 13-year-old Sylvie who is now discovering her own sexuality. The parents, who might now live in the States, would be completely freaking out in the "family values" Reagan-era. "Paul, whatever will we do with the precocious Sylvie?!" Sadly, Anicée has long since passed, and all we can do now is speculate as to what could have been.