My Wife Is an Actress (2001)

Some people who commented the movie here seem to have misunderstood a few things. I don't think Charlotte cheats on Yvan, I don't know where some people here got the idea, but even if we can see she contemplates the idea, she never does it, which shows an understanding of her husband predicament. Also, Yvan's sister and her husband are only discussing whether their BABY should be circumcised. Never was it mentioned that the circumcision would include the husband as some here have written. Some were thinking that this story had nothing to do in that movie but I think it has everything to do with it, since I think this movie is about couples that deal and overcome problems created by the very nature of the individuals in the couple, and this can exist in many various ways. It is about how you can deal with something that is not changeable (Charlotte is an actress and isn't going to change that, and Nathalie is Jewish and it is not going to change, she actually clings onto that in a very selfish - she ponders her baby's interest, his very identity while chainsmoking throughout her pregnancy, to the ridiculous despair of some reviewers - and ridiculous way - her own father calls her a crazy lot...)The story is therefore more about how Yvan learns to deal with the fact that his wife is something that he won't be able to change, hence his adaptation.This is a grown-up romantic comedy. Love isn't a given forever once you marry, as all American romantic comedies seem to tell (they mostly describe - in a very predictable way - how love begins, never how it is nurtured, therefore giving the feeling that American romantic comedies are designed for tweens who have never been in love before). This seems to be Yvan Attal's main concern judging from his other movie "Ils se marierent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants" (the traditional last sentence of french fairy tales): Falling in love is not really difficult, it is actually very easy as illustrated in this movie by the encounter with the very lovable Geraldine, the theatre student. STAYING in love IS the difficult part, and this is what this movie is all about...Also, some cultural references may have not be understood by people not familiar with France (Ophelie Winter in the train, Nagui, Marc Lavoine and Catherine Lara in the restaurant are all famous folks in France, the reference to some of the Paris Saint Germain football club fans) and may have made some scenes a bore while they were actually pretty funny for those able to fully grasp the situation.Overall, an interesting subject, nicely done and a charming cast (again unlike others have said the actress didn't need to look like J-Lo and the actor like Brad Pitt to believe in their mutual attraction. Like only good-looking people can seduce...)

I'm not going to waste my valuable internet time on this one, so two words from me which sums up this pointless film.MEGA BOREFEST !MEGA BOREFEST !MEGA BOREFEST !

CAUTION: SPOILERS! It ain't paranoia if it's really happening.In "My Wife Is an Actress" beleaguered French sportswriter Yvan (played by Yvan Attal, who also wrote and directed)is overcome by jealous worries that his beautiful movie star/wife Charlotte (played by Attal's real-life wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg) might be unfaithful. Yvan fears that Charlotte, who's left their Paris home to film a movie in London, might succumb to the advances of her sexy and disreputable leading man. Yvan's fears, stoked by, among other things, a conversation with a cloddish acquaintance, drive the action in this romantic comedy, which isn't always that comedic.(SPOILER) Several reviewers have labeled Yvan's worries as paranoid. But it ain't paranoia if it's really happening. Turns out Yvan was right to worry. Charlotte falls rather readily for her co-star (Terence Stamp), whose moves are subtle and low-pressure. She has an excuse--Yvan planted the thought in her head with his ranting on the subject and his frequent unannounced trips to London to check up on her. Of course she's obligated to follow her little crush through all the way and sleep with the guy, all the while reassuring her husband that she is not.Bear in mind that her fling is with a pasty, paunchy hack twice her age, as played delightfully by Stamp. You've got to figure a Russell Crowe-like young stud would have her on her back in about 10 seconds.Following her assignation, Charlotte suffers apparent pangs of guilt and boards the Chunnel train for Paris and Yvan. After some innocent misunderstanding they get back together and she continues to tell Yvan that she has not slept with her co-star. Yvan knows she's lying: "You know something? You're a great actress," he says.This movie is watchable and enjoyable, thanks to the attractiveness of its stars and Stamp's old-pro performance. But it is not particularly likeable, as romantic comedies are supposed to be. Ultimately it is a story about a marriage that is doomed to failure: he's obsessively jealous and she's unfaithful and a liar. Not a good combination. Worse, (SPOILER) the vehicle Charlotte and Yvan choose to cement their relationship--having a baby--is almost guaranteed to hurt, not help, a shaky marriage.Charlotte is the film's most interesting character. She is not particularly likeable and is made palatable only by the immense appeal of the actress, Ms. Gainsbourg. In this the film is similar to another French movie about adultery, "Un Pointe Entre Deux Rives," or "The Bridge," in which the grace and beauty of the Audrey Hepburn-like Carole Bouquet make a rather unlikeable character somewhat more sympathetic than she should be.Much has been made of the fact that the characters' names are the same as Attal's and Gainsbourg's real-lfe names. Is "My Wife Is an Actress" autobiographical? I hope not, for both their sakes.

This movie is disappointing. The film has a great cast and starts with a good premise (and very stylish opening credits), but then fizzles. The husband's jealousy of his wife's profession and fame quickly becomes tiresome. His character doesn't develop. He even gets involved in an acting group, but seems to learn nothing about what is make-believe and what is real. By the end of the story I was hoping that Charlotte would realize what a close-minded schmuck she had married. There's a patched-together ending that doesn't solve the basic problem between these two. Also, a circumcision subplot seems to belong in another movie. The best feature of this movie is Terence Stamp, who is terrific as a slightly windy yet seductive old English actor.