by Nathaniel R
In case you haven't yet heard the New York Film Festival has selected French Exit, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, as its closing night film this October. Key positioning at film festivals is generally a sign of confidence by movie studios though it naturally doesn't always mean anything. But we're very excited nonetheless.
Since four and half months of quarantine or social distancing has us exhausted of streaming movies and television we've thankfully branched out for entertainment. We've read a few books during this COVID summer, too. One was French Exit which we read in anticipation of the film.
La Pfeiffer has appeared in a number of adaptations but only two novels before French Exit had us screaming 'MICHELLE PFEIFFER WAS BORN TO PLAY THIS ROLE. MICHELLE PFEIFFER WILL SLAY THIS!'...
Those two were Cheri and White Oleander. Both movies didn't turn out as well as one might have hoped reading the (excellent) novels. At least in the latter case, the actress did all she could possibly do to elevate the material, turning in one of her three greatest performances (for the record we'd say those are Fabulous Baker Boys, Batman Returns and White Oleander... though she was nomination worthy more times, too). Sadly she was denied even an Oscar nomination when she deserved to win the statue that year.
French Exit, at least on paper (quite literally -- we held the paperback in our hands) reads like the role that could change her tragic Oscar fate.
Or not. You never know how well movies will turn out. If writer/director Azazel Jacobs (The Lovers) is up to the considerable task of adapting this odd tragicomedy about a once-wealthy widow and her freeloading son the finished film might be glorious. Although it's unlikely to be a crossover hit -- American audiences aren't especially besotted with pitch black comedies -- the potential is there for a great motion picture.
The role of Frances Price is basically everything an older female movie star could dream on. In addition to the complexity of the characters - she's alternately pitiable, enraging, funny, mystifying, and weirdly both helpless and forceful - the prose makes frequent mention of Mrs Price's legendary beauty and how intimidating that beauty still is even in her senior years. In the course of the narrative men and women alike fear her or try desperately to please her. The story is so oddly shaped, mordantly funny, and surprising that we beg you all to avoid spoilers unless you plan to read the book -- which is hard to put down and slim.
Early naysayers concerned about Lucas Hedge's casting have reason to be. At least in the novel the age and slovenliness of Malcolm Price, her son, who is in his mid 30s and out of shape, is crucial to his character arc or lack thereof. So a fit slim 24 year old star is a surprising choice.
Though one might classify the story as a mother/son dramedy, the biggest surprise for us reading the novel is what a lively ensemble piece this has the potential to be. Nearly every small role is great fun and if they've cast well and the actors are on the game we might be falling in love with Danielle Macdonald as Madeleine the psychic, Susan Coyne as the widow's only real friend (with whom a whole different side of her emerges), Imogen Poots and Daniel di Tomasso (who we think are playing Malcolm's ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend but we aren't entirely sure) and Isaach de Bankole and Valerie Mahaffey as French neighbors who become involved in their rapidly decaying lives.
Oh and yes, the great Tracy Letts as Small Frank, the cat. And yes, the cat does talk in the novel in a way. But we have no idea how the movie will handle his journey in the book - it's the kind of conceit that can be brilliant in literary form but might go very wrong onscreen. We shall see.
French Exit will have its world premiere on the closing night of NYFF in October and presumably go into limited release towards the end of the year (provided movie theaters are reopened by then)