Gérard Depardieu is irresistible in Les Volets Verts

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Gérard Depardieu and Benoît Poelvoorde go fishing

The critic has been very negative and I don’t know why. “Les Volets Verts” (the green shutters), the new film by Jean Becker, with Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant is based on an old story published in 1950 by George Simenon. The script is Jean Loup Dabadie‘s last one. He died in May 2020. It is an (almost) one man show by the most brilliant living French actor, who plays his own part in a way, in the film. He is overweight and risks a heart attack any minute, is still in love with his former wife, an actress, Fanny Ardant, and likes to seduce. All the supporting actors are excellent, Benoît Poelvoorde as his only friend, Anouk Grinberg who dresses him every night for the mediocre play he acts in, and Steffi Celma the wonderful actress (discovered in “10%” call my agent) who accompanies his last days.

With Steffi Celma and her young daughter in the house with green shutters

If there were any reservations to be made, it would be about Fanny Ardant’s part which is really vacuous, she is badly made up and looks too old for the part. The quality of Depardieu’s acting is uplifting on every image and the contrast between his celebrity and his sad lonely life seems very real. This film is a perfect tale of the difficulty of being a revered actor with a failed personal life

Fanny Ardant and Gérard Depardieu are back playing together

“Les volets verts” plays in all French cinemas.

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4 Comments on “Gérard Depardieu is irresistible in Les Volets Verts”

  1. A lot of the times the Films panned by the critics are the ones that I end up really liking and vice a versa this definitely sounds like one I will look out for Thank You.

  2. I saw this film a couple of weeks ago. I loved it and will look-out for the DVD release. GD was wonderful and well-supported by the other excellent cast members. He is a beautifully subtle but exquisitely detailed actor – such a joy to watch!!

  3. Gérard Depardieu is irresistible! I am an American movie goer and I have seen most of his movies and the only reason not all is because I may not have been able to get them.
    I can’t wait to watch this movie.

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