One Wild Moment

One Wild Moment is a remake of a 1977 film of the same name written and directed by Claude Berri, a director-producer distinguished by his glossy, quintessentially French mainstream films who here gets a screenwriting credit (his son, Thomas Langmann, co-produced this version)

Vincent Cassel and François Cluzet play fortysomething best friends, Laurent and Antoine, the former divorced, the later separated, on summer holiday in Corsica with their teenage daughters, Louna and Marie (Lola Le Lann and Alice Isaaz). In a moment of inebriated weakness Laurent has sex with Louna and then finds her hopelessly attached him. Clearly this is not the holiday anyone expected.

Despite the rather questionable scenario One Wild Moment actually deals with its subject matter with a good deal of credibility, Richet treating his material as a farce without trivializing or sensationalizing it.

Much of the strength of the film is down to the performances. Lola Le Lann in her first screen appearance is a remarkable looking Lolita-like nymphet but looks aside she sells her character so well that we feel for her admittedly willing victim. The icky stuff over, the fun starts once Laurent tries to disentangle himself from Louana’s puppy love fantasy and to amend his error of judgement, particularly once Antoine enlists his help in finding the culprit, who he has discovered is an older man.  Cluzet is particularly good as the outraged father who himself unsuccessfully attempts adultery and has a side issue trying to clear his property of wild boars. Isaaz has little to do but serve to increase the tension of the fraught situation

One Wild Moment is a slight film but, as long as you are not offended by the key event, an enjoyable and very French one.

FYI: Berri’s original was also the inspiration for Stanley Donen's 1984 film, Blame It on Rio, with Michael Caine and a very young Demi Moore.

 

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