‘The President’s Wife (2023)
“The President’s Wife” opens with a literal Greek chorus – or, at least, a French choir – filling us in on the biographical details of real-life former French first lady Bernadette Chirac, before warning us that the film we are about to see is a work of fiction. It sets the tone for what proves to be a lightly tongue-in-cheek biopic. (French audiences may be more adept at separating fact from fiction.) Chirac is portrayed by screen legend Catherine Deneuve (“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”) as the real brains behind her husband Jacques (Michel Vuillermoz), who presided over the country from 1995 to 2007. As Jacques stumbles his way through a series of scandals and easily avoidable pitfalls, Bernadette realizes it’s up to her to preserve her own political capital, setting up an ad hoc communications office in a closet with the help of one of her husbands lower-level aides. How much one gets out of “The President’s Wife” may depend on their familiarity with 1990s French politics; it was released in its native land as “Bernadette,” and it was clearly made for an audience on a first-name basis with its subject. Some of the stories, if true, are certainly astounding, such as an incident in which the president is caught in the bed of an Italian actress the morning of Princess Diana’s death; given a lack of context (and the aforementioned disclaimer), it’s hard to tell historical truths from flights of fancy. American audiences may want to spend some time on Wikipedia before heading to the theater. Taken on its own terms, however, “The President’s Wife” is warm and agreeably humorous. Deneuve turns in an iconic performance as Bernadette, bemusedly observing her husband’s shenanigans and swanning about in vintage Karl Lagerfeld (in one highlight, Lagerfeld himself, played by Olivier Breitman, swoops into Bernadette’s office to make sure she’s sartorially up to date). Vuillermoz plays the French president as a perfect comic boob, blustery and befuddled opposite his wife’s cool serenity. At its best, this recalls the deadpan absurdity of Armando Ianucci’s satires (“Veep,” “The Death of Stalin”). While mileage may vary depending on your history with the film’s subject, 90 minutes with Deneuve is rarely ill spent. (Oscar Goff) At Landmark Kendall Square Cinema, 355 Binney St., Cambridge.
‘The Wedding Banquet’ (2025)
Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic is a spirited one. Much has changed in the 30 years in between – or maybe not, as the current administration doesn’t have the LGBTQ+ community’s back as prior admins did. The original setting of New York City flips to Seattle where Min (Han Gi-chan), a gay Korean aspiring artist facing immigration and family pressures, opts for a green-card marriage with friend Angela (Kelly Marie Tran, “Raya and the Dragon” and “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”), who seeks financial support for IVF treatments with her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”). Min, his beau Chris (Bowen Yang of “SNL”), Angela and Lee make for a happy foursome and all live in the same quaint bungalow. The trouble comes when Min’s halmoni (Youn Yuh-jung), Korean for grandmother, shows up stateside to inform him that he has to take over one of the family businesses or be cut off. For loosely explained reasons, staging an opulent Korean wedding banquet solves the problem (and helps satisfy Min’s homophobic family back home). For other knee-jerk reasons, Angela wants to put off having a kid to travel the world, which puts her at odds with baby-minded Lee. Min’s halmoni is onto the whole charade from the get-go, and Angela’s mom May (Joan Chen) gets overinvolved. But it’s a sperm donation from an unlikely source that upends the happy rainbow dynamics in the bungalow. Not much of it makes a whole lot of sense, but the cast, particularly Yang, Chen and Yuh-jung, are all in and on point – Gladstone, sadly, is underused. As far as screwball comedies go, Ahn’s “Wedding Banquet” comes off a bit too sitcomlike for its own good, but there are some well-earned moments of heartfelt poignance as bridges are broached and characters bare their souls. I wouldn’t call Anh’s version a remake so much as it’s a reenvisioning that does well to take on matters of cultural and sexual identity in the way that Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” (2019) and far more raucous “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) did – all you need is a dose of Awkwafina for the win, though Yang’s not a bad pinch hitter. (Tom Meek) At Landmark Kendall Square Cinema, 355 Binney St., Cambridge.
Cambridge writer Tom Meek’s reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in WBUR’s The ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
Oscar Goff is a writer and film critic based in Somerville. He is film editor and senior critic for the Boston Hassle and his work has appeared in the monthly Boston Compass newspaper and publications such as WBUR’s The ARTery and iHeartNoise. He is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, and the Online Film Critics Society.
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