PLANCHA/ HAPPY 50

France, 2022, 100 minutes, Colour.

Lambert Wilson, Franck Dubosc, Guillaume de Tonquedec, Jerome Commandeur, Caroline Anglade, Lionel Aberlanski, Lysiane Meis, Sophie Duez, Valerie Crouzet, Alice Llenas.

Directed by Eric Lavaine.

The French title is playful, reference to the hotplate on the barbecue. It probably serves as a metaphor for the various ingredients that go onto a hotplate, warmup, get heated, can get burnt! The English title is very straightforward, factual – except that this celebration of the 50^th birthday is often unhappy.

This is a very French film, French sensibilities, French manners, interactions. We are introduced to four couples at the airport, planning to fly to Greece for a holiday for the 50^th birthday of one of them, Yves, Guillaume de Languedoc, very cheerful, hopeful. And the plane is cancelled. Yves suggests they all go to his home in Brittany – and, with some reluctance, especially about the lack of sunshine for the vacation, they drive there, welcomed to his home by Yves, his delight in explaining everything Breton to them, especially his ancestors.

Many times throughout this film, the audience might be wondering what they are doing sharing this holiday with the couples, especially with three of the men who are particularly cantankerous. And, at times, we seem to be listening in to conversations which we would prefer not to hear, that we are eavesdropping. And, at times they can be particularly dislikeable!

It does rain. It pours. But, the group find things to pass the time, jigsaw puzzles, Trivial Pursuit, some outings and walks towards the ocean…

However, grumbling and cantankerousness often prevail. Baptiste, Franck Dubosc, can be particularly obnoxious, thinking that he might have been sacked from his long-time job, waiting for a phone call from his boss, highly critical of his patient wife, condescendingly patriarchal in his remarks. Actually, his friends don’t include him in their particular club, Tennis Without Baptiste, because he is not a team player, and a poor tennis player at that. Can he be redeemable?

The wives are present for the vacation but tend to be put into the background.

Then there is Antoine, the leader of the group, played by veteran Lambert Wilson. He is also a complainer, hard on his wife, still brooding over the death of his father a year earlier, a father with whom he could not communicate, who disliked him. Not surprisingly, at one stage, his wife considers leaving him.

The seeming odd man out of the group is Laurent, Liionel Abelanski, not as well educated as the others, very poor at Trivial Pursuit, not even knowing the novel featuring Jean Valjean. And he is rather resentful of another friend from the past, Jean-Michel, Jerome Commandeur, who comes with his wife and son from Costa Rica where he has successfully set up a business (and who knows all the answers in Trivial Pursuit). Laurent’s wife is an amateur sculptor and brings one of her works as a gift only to discover that everybody thinks it something of a joke.

And, there is more to come, with Antoine bringing a gift for Yves 50^th, investigations as to his ancestry – big mistake, some disillusionment for Yves, but information even more potentially disastrous and the dilemma of should a secret be kept or should the truth be out. There is a very effective sequence where the group discuss this issue and devise a way to determine whether the secret should be kept or not.

After spending this vocation with the group, whether we like it or not, we realise that friends like this do need some kind of looking back at the past, acknowledging mistakes and clashes, a bit of confessing to cleanse the soul. Which does mean that they can participate in a local Festival, dance, have a happy ending.

So, the question – whether we really want to be on holidays with this group or not!

1. The French title, the barbecue hotplate, the references during the film? The English title, straightforward?
2. A film about middle-aged, contemporary crises, friendships, secrets, falling out? Memories of the past? Hopes for the future?
3. The introduction to the group, the atmosphere, the 50^th birthday, the holiday plans, to Greece, the plane being cancelled? The effect, the decision about Brittany, arguments for and against? The drive, the assembly at the house?
4. The ensemble, the couples, past friendships and links, marriages? The audience liking the members of the group on not? Identifying with them? Sympathising with them? The experience of listening in, eavesdropping on private conversations? Response to cantankerous interactions? The audience want to be with the group – not?
5. Yves, his birthday, his relationship with Laure, married, the children away, the success? His pride in being Brett on, the tour of the house, the photos, his ancestry? His chatter, pleasant, naive? Relationship with each of the others? His story, his foibles, the jigsaw puzzle and Jean-Michel folding it up, but restoring it? Coping with the group, the weather, suggesting outings, art galleries, festivals and dancing? The gift of the sculpture first birthday, reactions, Natalie breaking it? The gift of the ancestry search, and the revelations, his grandmother and the gardener, and the information about his own children? His wife wanting to tell him, the discussion at the table, asking his opinion about secrets and his giving his opinion? The secret remaining?
6. Laure, posters, the support of her husband, enjoying the presence of the group, the activities, her cooking, the virgin cocktails, Baptiste putting the alcohol, her drinking, the consequences, the issue of the ancestry information, her withdrawing, drinking, the decision to tell her husband, the group shielding her, the discussions about the grandfather gardener, Yves and his opinion, his talking about caps then and the tennis coaching? Her keeping the secret?
7. Antoine, the leader of the group, his moods, wanting sunshine, cantankerous, tense relationship with his wife? His interventions, his moods, the entertainment, the gin in the drink, drinking, the issue of his smoking? The clash with his wife? The memories of his dead father, the clash with his father, walking out, the train, going to the cemetery, the frank talking with his father, his drawings a child, his father not praising him? The return, the reconciliation with his wife, dancing? His wife, love, the marriage, finding her husband wearing? Her wanting to walk out?
8. Baptiste, age, relationship with his wife, dominating her, critical of her decisions, her decision to buy the house, is not seeing it? Continued anxiety about his boss not ringing, his promotional not? Cantankerous? Telling stories with exact detail, the others finding him wearing? The discussion about tennis without Baptiste? His anxiety over it? The reasons for the others? His putting the alcohol in the virgin cocktails? Audience put off by him? His dominating his wife, her patience? Finally getting the information about his promotion, the change in him, happiness?
9. Laurent, his wife, her sculptures, his setting up his business, his place in the group, past friendships, but not so well educated, not knowing the characters of Les Miserables…? His antagonism towards Jean-Michelle, some jealousy? Jean Michel and his speech about bandaging benefiting from Lawrence modelling of self sufficiency? Natalie, the sculptures, the reaction to the gift, the smashing it, being hurt?
10. Jean-Michel, friendships from the past, his wife and son, happy, Costa Rica, his business? Genial, well-informed, all the answers and Trivial Pursuit, the issue with the jigsaw, putting it together? His story, the travel, his company, deciding to set up his business in Costa Rica, success? His relationship with the group, not able to keep secrets, translating for his wife? The issue of Yves and his children? His declaration to laurel and the bonding between them?
11. The need for honesty and relationships, telling the truth, preserving secrets, the holiday as an occasion for facing oneself, honesty, hopes – and the final celebration and dancing?