“Potiche” mean ‘Trophy Wife’ which is what Catherine Deneuve is to bullying male-chauvinist factory boss Fabrice Luchini.
When Luchini’s hospitalised, it’s Deneuve who takes over running the factory, with the help of her daughter and closet-gay son, forging an alliance with Communist mayor (and ex-lover) Gérard Depardieu.
This is feminism-lite and director François Ozon plays it for laughs, revelling in his pastel vision of the ’70s.
Good fun, though, and the spectacle of Deneuve and the now-mountainous Depardieu disco-dancing shouldn’t be missed.
