LE PLAN PARFAIT/A PERFECT PLAN/FLY ME TO THE MOON

France, 2012, 104 minutes, Colour.
Diane Kruger, Dany Boon.
Directed by Pascal Chaumeil.

A Perfect Plan might have seemed a perfect plan as a screenplay idea – but it does not quite work out so well in this film. Perhaps Diane Kruger is the wrong choice for the central role, though she tries her best at comedy. On the other hand, Dany Boon, who made an impression on French audiences and worldwide with Welcome to the Sticks, brings the right kind of comic personality, part realistic and part zany, to the role of the patsy who is supposed to be a candidate for a quick marriage and divorce for the heroine.

The setting is a meal where a 36-year-old official whose partner has left her bores the family to tears at the Christmas dinner and they decide to tell her the story of Isabelle, and her encounter with the Jean-Yves?, because the family is cursed that first marriages do not work but second marriages do. Isabelle is, therefore, after 10 years in partnership with a dentist, wanting a quick first marriage and then she can settle down with the dentist. Needless to say, this is not how it works out.

A lot of the film is farcical – but there are attractive sequences in Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro as well as in Moscow.

The director did much better with his film, Heartbreakers, with Romain Duris, and the English-language A Long Way Down, with Pierce Brosnan and Toni Collette.

1. French comedy style, characters, situations – and a touch of the more than far-fetched?

2. The locations, France, the city, homes, dentists, bowling alleys? The international sequences, Denmark, Kenya, Russia and Moscow? The musical score?

3. The title – and the English translations?

4. The situation: the Christmas dinner, the family gathered, the visitor and her incessant talking, the family’s boredom, the father playing chess, the mother critical, the husband and wife more sympathetic? Typical French comedy and drama centring on a meal? The decision to tell the story?

5. The telling of the story, the various members becoming involved, the effect on the visitor, her attentive listening, her appreciating the story whether it was true or not?

6. The family curse, the first marriage not working, divorce, the second marriage being successful? Going back to many generations?

7. The story of Isabelle? Her place in the family, her sister telling the story, her mother? Her stepfather? Her brother-in-law? The background, her not wanting to be affected by the curse, her studies, dentistry, falling in love with the dentist, their being in partnership, her not wanting to marry him, yet her desire to have children with him? The years passing, the routine, the meals, at bowls…?

8. The perfect plan, Isabelle going to Denmark, meeting a man, marrying, within hours getting a divorce, breaking the curse of the first marriage?

9. On the plane, meeting Jean- Yves, his listening to her, her glossing over the story? Encountering him in Denmark? His going to Kenya? Her alleged fiance being a no-show? The decision to latch onto Jean- Yves and persuade him to marry her, then get a divorce?

10. The continually turning up, his surprise at meeting her, at the hotel, his going to a lesser hotel and her following?

11. The adventures in Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro, the lion and their fear, bonding them?

12. The Massai tribe, the rituals, the decision to marry? Jean-Yves? and his happiness? Isabelle and the ambiguity?

13. Travelling to Russia, the experiences and adventures? Isabelle and her doing idiotic things so that Jean- Yves would want to divorce her? The issue with his hair and getting the cap? The dancing, the stupid talk?

14. Isabelle in contact with her sister, giving the progress or lack of progress? Jean- Yves and his listening to her conversation, his dismay, going to the restaurant, giving her the divorce papers? Her feeling bad?

15. Her return home, telling the story, laughing and Jean- Yves yet yearning for him? Meeting Pierre, unable to marry him, finding him humdrum, the same routine, the bowling…?

16. Jean- Yves turning up, with the divorce document, Isabelle and wanting to be with him? Wanting adventure, unpredictability? Happy ending?