2023 French comedy-drama directed by de Gilles Legardinier in his directorial debut, Mr. Blake At Your Service stars John Malkovich, Fanny Ardant, Émilie Dequenne, Philippe Bas, Eugénie Anselin, Al Ginter, Anne Brionne, and Christel Henon and is based on the director’s novel Complètement cramé! (Completely Burnt Out!).
At times, it was slow and dragged a bit, always seemingly waiting for something to happen. The tempo was slow, the speaking was slow, and you felt the need to know more about the somewhat implausible characters, but maybe that’s part of its charm.
For most of the movie, there is a sadness that lingers over everything with an unlikely collection of lonely, odd characters.
Having seen the lead actor, John Malkovich, depict the evil guy in many movies, I found myself expecting him to suddenly turn into the big bad guy with all hell breaking loose AND then all of a sudden he sort of does!!!
It seemed like the premise held a lot of promise but never quite lived up to it. And then suddenly, it sort of just does!!! The mood goes from sad to silly, and suddenly, you almost…… I did say almost—don’t want it to end.
The plot was holey, the characters thin, and the tempo sluggish, but, despite myself, I found I was enjoying it anyway. Even though finally, after all that damned melancholy, without giving anything away, I was so happy I actually cried – real tears – maybe of relief!!
If you want a movie that you’ll probably like even with all its faults, this one’s for you. It’s especially for you if, like me, you love a happy ending (no!! Keep it classy, please!!).
This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.
