User reviews

This is the French take on the surprisingly popular story of "staid grandmother becomes dope peddler". In this case: A widow hankers back to her personal belle époque when she ran a successful restaurant with her husband. Now, her husband's drunk himself to death, Asians have taken over her restaurant, her daughter is estranged and money's too tight to mention. The once lively Paulette has become lonely and depressed and blames it all on the immigrants. In true Ayn Rand spirit, Paulette then decides to use her entrepreneurial skills and sell the old ganja, even if this means cooperating with -- well, the very same criminal immigrants she dreads so much.

The story is fairly linear and takes few twists and turns, but because of the great dialogues and great acting, it's nevertheless entertaining. Like a great dish, if it tastes great you won't complain just because you've had it before. And like chocolate, I like my movies the better the darker they come.

While the intro to our main character might not be as powerful as in the animated "Up", you still get a feeling for a character that will be very difficult to identify with at first. It's a grandmother who is really naughty and seems to hate everyone and everything. But the actress is so good with a script that is really more than fine, that you do care in the end.

You might already know where this is going (sort of), but it's really fun to watch how we get there. The french keep it real (as much as possible), with added story lines, that do not feel that they disrupt or corrupt the main story. It actually adds to it, in small but very funny pieces. I can only recommend this if you like naughty comedies

I always have been a big fan of crime comdey genre. french humor is always different from other countries! this film is a perfect example of dark comedy!

"Paulette" directed by Jérôme Enrico is a 2012 French comedy-crime film. The film follows the story of Paulette (played by Bernadette Lafont), an elderly woman who lives alone in a banlieue after the death of her husband. Paulette's pension is too small to get by, and she is forced to deal with financial difficulties when her furniture and TV are seized due to overdue bills.

One day, Paulette hears about the potential for making money through dealing cannabis. She visits a local criminal named Vito (played by Paco Boublard) and asks him for work. Vito commissions her to sell his cannabis, but her success attracts the attention of other dealers, who beat her up and rob her.

To make ends meet, Paulette starts selling cakes and biscuits spiced with cannabis, which become increasingly popular. Vito's boss becomes enthusiastic about her success and plans to sell her pastries to pupils, but Paulette refuses. This leads to her grandson being kidnapped, and she embarks on a dramatic attempt to free him. Ultimately, her son-in-law Ousmane (played by Jean-Baptiste Anoumon) saves the day.

One of the standout aspects of the film is the performance of Bernadette Lafont as Paulette. Lafont delivers a nuanced and compelling performance, showcasing Paulette's determination and resilience in the face of adversity. The supporting cast, including Carmen Maura, Dominique Lavanant, and Françoise Bertin, also delivers strong performances.

The film's script, written by Bianca Olsen, Laurie Aubanel, Cyril Rambour, and Jérôme Enrico, is full of humor and unexpected twists. The direction by Jérôme Enrico is exceptional, creating a sense of authenticity and relatability. However, the film's reliance on dark humor and the occasional graphic violence can be a drawback for some viewers.

Despite its strengths, "Paulette" has some challenging narrative elements that may make it difficult for viewers to fully engage. The film's exploration of Paulette's descent into crime and her attempts to free her grandson can be dark and intense.

Overall, "Paulette" is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged film that showcases the talents of its cast and crew. Its masterful direction, powerful performances, and well-crafted script make it a must-watch for fans of comedy-crime films.

Rating: 7/10.

I wasn't expecting much from the movie. Just wanted to burn time and the title had been sitting there for a awhile... And it has a such a low score in IMDb. So...

I think I like it much more than 6.6.

It soon got my attention and as the movie unraveled I was quickly mind focused on the movie. It has its edge with humor and funny outcomes of particular situations.

While the film itself its predictable, how it gets there was very hilarious. The whole scenery and cast is very appropriate to the story. Not to mention how it ends.

Spectacular!

I very much enjoyed the film and would encourage friends to see it.

This movie isn't for me so i didn't like it that much. Even tho the idea of a grandma selling drugs is funny (even tho the story ended up being not that funny or enjoyable) , the actors are great and the oscar for best actress is undersandable. Everything else about this movie was just meh, the jokes were not funny and some of the writing felt too much lazy. Also there were charcters that were just stright up pointless i actually remember like half the charcters you csn get rid of those charcters and it won't cahnge a thing. The villain was boring and was just dumb (not the funny kinda dumb). The ending was just SO LAZY OH MY GOD and doesn't even make any sense it was just lazy writing. Maybe im being too hard on this movie cause its a comdey and it just wasn't for me BUT WHY DID MY MOM TOLD ME TO WATCH A MOVIE ABOUT A GRANDMA SELLING DRUGS? Anyways this movie isn't for me but if you like thats ok.

We enjoyed this heartwarming and humorous flick. There are some laugh out moments and some touching scenes too.

The music is beautiful. It's a well made film.

The main actress is really fantastic and I want to see more of her movies. She is a natural. Her character of Paulette is mean and racist, but through the movie we see her transform and we are rooting for her.

Aymen Saiyid is wonderful in his role as Rachid. We recognized him from the series Spiral.

All the supporting cast were great. The little grandson Leo was adorable.

Some of the plot points were predictable.

The end was perfect!