Cliente (Josiane Balasko, 2008): France

Reviewed by Jesse Solomon. Viewed at the 2009 Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Cliente or “A French Gigolo” is the portrait of an attractive successful middle-aged woman who would rather buy her dates then look for them. Judith (Nathalie Baye) runs her own QVC like television show with her sister Irène (Josiane Balasko), the tow sisters are impossibly close, but unlike Judith Irène is a hopeful romantic and looks down on her sisters scandalous behavior. Judith takes no offense to her sister’s opinions and buys a young hot male escort a few times a month. She tells herself it means nothing and she believes she can live the rest of her life as an independent single woman, until she meets Patrick (Eric Caravaca). Patrick looks like the usual male escort but really he is using the pay he gets as a way to support his wife’s new hair salon and his extended family. There is a sense of happiness and anxiety that Eric Caravaca eludes that is amazing in this film, the viewer really gets drawn into the character of this hard working man, who is doing all the wrong things for the right reasons. He is too young to be married to the oblivious love of his life and no real job so he somehow covers up his escorting and makes sure all the bills are paid and his family is happy. He does nothing but love his wife, even when Judith makes it clear that she loves him as well, and we all know that his life would be so much easier if he just left and joined Judith’s charmed life, but he cant.

Even though this film is not by any means your typical romantic comedy it sure feels like one, the love triangle is so intriguing in this movie that your not really sure what the right ending should be. My only complaint about this fabulous movie was that the ending was a bit drawn out, but otherwise I loved the films quirky aspects like the QVC items for sale and the sisters lover Jim Many Horses, a Native American that guest stars on the show. Probably my favorite part of the film was the soundtrack, during three or four particularly emotional scenes they play these incredibly crude French Rap songs, they really remind you that the movie isn’t all love and comedy its about prostitution.