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A Perfect Plan
Culture

A Perfect Plan with Dany Boon and Diane Kruger

By Margot Cadic
12/06/2014

After the Heartbreaker with Vanessa Paradis and Romain Duris, received with great success by cinemagoers in 2010, Pascal Chaumeil returns with a new romantic comedy starring Diane Kruger and Dany Boon. At first glance 'A Perfect Plan' appears to have all the right ingredients for it to become a second triumph for Chaumeil at the box office; a great cast and an original plot for a rom-com. The film offers many funny moments. 

The plot as is the plan. The women in Isabelle’s family are all “cursed”. Every first marriage they have ends in divorce. However Isabelle, who has been with her partner Pierre for the last 10 years and is convinced they are soul mates, is determined to overcome this obstacle. In order to do so she comes up with a perfect plan… She will marry and divorce a complete stranger in Copenhagen before marrying Pierre and live happily ever after. Unfortunately for her, things do not turn out as planned, and the man she arranges to marry and divorce within the day does not show up. Isabelle is therefore forced to change her plans slightly and decides to seduce Jean-Yves, an adventurous yet quirky travel writer she meets on the plane, who appears to be the ideal candidate for her scheme. Once married to him, he becomes clingier than expected and it becomes evident that getting a first divorce will not be easy.

Initially this light-hearted comedy does not seem to have the potential to get to grisps with themes.  However, it does begin to address topics such as commitment issues and the problem of routine within couples. Some of the scenes are touching in this respect and 'A Perfect Plan' presents us with far deeper content than what might have been expected from the superficial plot.

The concept of commitment is mainly portrayed through the idea that the “curse” is symbolic of high divorce rates for first marriages in the Western world, that nowadays represents one in three marriages ending in divorce. Indeed due to high divorce statistics, the number of people who decide not to get married has dramatically increased.  This is why Isabelle refuses to marry Pierre for many years, even though she loves him. She has convinced herself that if she marries Pierre, their marriage will be another failure.

In regards to the boring and unexciting routine which emerges in relationships, we can witness this through the couple Pierre and Isabelle. Every day the agenda is completely organised and set with no time for spontaneity: Saturday bowling evening, Monday Pictionary night, Thursday date night, same restaurant, same food etc. Although presented at the start of the movie as the illustration of their complete connection and love, we later discover the true strain this is bringing to their relationship.

Some of the scenes were truly touching, especially the scene when Jean Yves, after finding out Isabelle has been lying to him from the start about her intentions towards him, confronts her about it in a café in Moscow. This moment should definitely be classed as one of the highlights from the film as well as one of Dany Boon’s great performances.

The success of this film lies in its strong cast. The supporting roles played by Alice Pol, Etienne Chicot and Jonathan Cohen, all add dynamism to the piece. Although there are moments which seem to drag a little, the charm and grace of Diane Kruger mixed with the charismatic Danny Boon keeps the film moving forward even if there is a certain lack of chemistry between the two stars.

Overall, 'A Perfect Plan' is a great feel good rom-com but do not expect major twists and surprises in what is a rather predictable plot.

Dany Boon’s comic ability could have been exploited more but the film nonetheless delivers the laughs and his fans will not be disappointed.

6/10

 

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