If French writer-director Martin Provost were the head of a fashion brand, it would be the kind of house that turns out exceptionally well-made, classically designed upper-mid-market gear for an older clientele who know what they like and don’t want any silly logos or bizarre color combinations. It’s chic, if just a touch safe, outfits that maybe nod cursorily toward contemporary silhouettes and trends but won’t look dated in five years’ time.
Indeed, his latest, Love Lessons, is like a cinematic look book for Soeur or Sézane, the major-name female cast (including Emmanuelle Devos, Chiara Mastroianni and Carole Bouquet) dressed in elegant linen frocks and jaunty, faintly maritime separates that suit the seaside vibe of Dieppe, in Normandy, where the story takes place. If it were a perfume, it would smell of ozone, salt and rosemary. What the story is actually about almost doesn’t matter — just enjoy the quiet luxury of it all, with the ever-endearing Fabrice Luchini in the lead doing yet another bumbling, bourgeois gentleman of a certain age.
Love Lessons
The Bottom Line
So tasteful you'll forget what it's about.
