Coup de Chance

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.

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 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.

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

With "Cantaloupe Island", by Herbie Hancock, as background music, and the wonderful photography by Vittorio Storaro, Woody Allen pays homage to French filmmakers of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, in his latest film COUP DE CHANCE (2023). As the title indicates, 15 films after MATCH POINT (2005), Woody Allen returns to exploring the theme of luck and chance, now giving us the reverse of the coin.

COUP DE CHANCE (2023) is based on the premise that even the most fortuitous events can have profound and lasting consequences, showing how the characters' lives are shaped by a series of coincidences and unforeseen events.

Ironically, the only character who thinks he is making his own luck ends up succumbing to the whims of fate, becoming a victim of luck, or the lack of it, and his own Machiavellian design, which leads us to ponder the illusory nature of total control of our lives.

When comparing COUP DE CHANCE with MATCH POINT, we can observe an interesting dialogue between the two. If in MATCH POINT, we see a character who escapes justice due to a twist of fate, in COUP DE CHANCE this theme is inverted, presenting a character who believes he has everything under control, not counting on external elements that may eventually influence in his plans. This inversion offers an intriguing perspective on how luck and chance can condition the course of events, regardless of each character's beliefs or actions.

Thus, by presenting a subversion in relation to MATCH POINT, COUP DE CHANCE broadens the viewer's understanding of the role of luck and chance in our lives, and invites us to reflect on the complexity and unpredictability of human destiny. This time, the tennis ball lands on the less favorable side of the net.