Let’s just call this an endurance test capped off with a head-scratching ending.
What starts off as a charming tale of a retired Princeton philosophy professor (Matthew Morgan, played by Michael Caine) barely hanging on in Paris after the death of his wife, his life given new meaning by friendship with a young dance instructor (Pauline, played by Clemence Poesy), becomes much less lyrical and winning after Morgan’s grown children are introduced into the story.
The two offspring suddenly materialize after Morgan makes a feeble suicide attempt, and the caustic words exchanged by family members and their mixed motivations quickly muddy the simplicity of the original storyline. Morgan’s attempt to kill himself makes sense at the time, as a response to memories of his wife made even more raw by his new feelings for Pauline, an impossibly youthful romantic object. But, in the aftermath of the suicide attempt, the story devolves into interminable heart-to-heart discussions and family squabbles. Pauline, caught in the middle, ends up carrying too much of the weight of these family troubles and, no longer the mysterious stranger in Morgan’s life, becomes just another combatant.
Part of the beauty of the story lies in the gentle flirtation between Morgan and Pauline, which transcends their age difference, but that spell is broken when Pauline and Morgan’s son develop an attraction for one another. Morgan attempts magnanimity, wishing his son the best even when that includes having Pauline, but the two men’s hasty attempts to patch up years of differences don’t really ring true.
SPOILER ALERT: Then, in a baffling ending, Morgan apparently satisfied that he no longer has unfinished business, appears to succeed in a second suicide attempt. This time no one seems particularly upset, and Morgan’s son and Pauline walk offscreen arm in arm. Huh??
The movie is partially redeemed by the acting of Caine and Poesy, who, even when working with uneven material, are both a pleasure to watch.