In theaters this Wednesday, November 13, the 51st feature film by the immense Claude Lelouch, 87 years old, is a good vintage, full of tasty and happy existential reflections, surprising and endearing encounters and above all Kad Merad, perfect in the role principal who gets lost in order to find himself better.
A great Parisian lawyer, virtuoso in the defense of impossible cases, Lino (Kad Merad) has what ordinary mortals would consider enough, if not everything, to be happy: a film star wife (Elsa Zilberstein), a daughter soon to be a singer (Barbara Pravi), a son soon to be a director (Boaz Lelouch), a wonderful mother (Françoise Fabian), an associate and best friend full of humor and love (Michel Boujenah). In short, Lino has everything. And Lino left everything behind. This is where Finally begins: when everything is behind, and he is ahead.
Bundle propped on his shoulder, beret screwed on his skull, smile locked on his face, smartphone at the bottom of the river, Lino traces the route. On foot. He gives a thumbs up to go, you’ll laugh, that’s good, where the one who picks him up is going. There, a breeder (François Morel), here a hunter (Lionel Abelanski)… On his way, he also meets some nice people: a second-hand dealer from Béziers (Clémentine Célarié) from whom he buys a trumpet… because there is always loved the trumpet, a big-hearted farmer’s wife (Françoise Gillard) with whom he played a little music, but also, being there, God, rather nice in fact, and then Jesus with his apostles, a little more creepy, those with their uniforms, smug smiles…
Full of self-references
Yes, it’s Lelouch, and if he doesn’t abuse the circular tracking shot, he nonetheless always does it as he pleases. A way that he has wandered, whimsical, a little philosophical, quite nostalgic, and always very sentimental since, as he proclaimed even in the title of his previous film, “love is better than life”. It is also not the only one of his films that we think about (with pleasure, it must be emphasized) during Eventually.
So, Lino is, we give it to you in a thousand words, the son of the robber played by Lino Ventura in Happy New Year (1973); which brings us some beautiful extracts from said (nice) film with, well done, already Françoise Fabian. The character of Sandrine Bonnaire whose nature we let you discover is the child of Nicole Courcel, who played the head of the prostitutes’ union in Adventure is adventure (1972), which of course also featured Lino Ventura… And we’ll spare you the countless reminiscences of his filmography in dialogues; as it should be aphoristic.
There would be something testamentary in Eventually (yes, we know, the title…) if it weren’t for the love of life with which he is filled to overflowing. After its tasty start way Itinerary of a (other) spoiled childthe story is somewhat scattered, between historical flashbacks, returns to the family and incredible, even twisted, developments. But this cinema, fluid and stylish, playful and demiurgic, has a little music that never fails to charm and captivate us. A little music of chance seen as luck; moreover, life is not born otherwise. In Finally, there is plenty of life, so heaven can wait.
