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PUBESCENT

The French cinema has always had dibs on the coming of age flick. The one where the 13 year old boy is seduced by a beautiful older woman and is treated kindly and gently.

Today's Best NYTimes 1176 Film has a whole new flip on this idea.

In Bernard Blier's

Préparez vos mouchoirs / Get Out Your Handkerchieves (1978)

we get a new twist on this theme. A husband seeks to find a way to excite his wife (sexually as well as generally) who is depressed and has 'attacks'. He recruits a stranger to help him get her going. The (now) friend is no more successful than the husband.

They become buddies and join to solve this problem. They decide she needs a child and so they find a 13 year old boy (genius) who, as it turns out, can also sexually satisfy her.

Sorry you asked?

It is a little hard to write the plot in a short burst.

I can't say that this film is funny although it is very amusing. Also, as you now know, very French.

Even I got uncomfortable when the lady removes her nightie for the boy.

It is hard to get going with it, yet once you get engaged it is pretty good.

We see the young Gérard Depardieu here. A hunk. You can see, though, that he is already running to bulk. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

As for the general idea, it all seems very heterosexual angsty. It is not quite a pedophilic twist. The boy is a genius after all. And seems to seduce her but she actually seems to be taking the lead in the dance.

That these two guys can't 'awaken' the maiden seems to be kinda hard to figure. They are boyish. Maybe that is it. A puzzle.

I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

I will give this one a 4 out of Netflix5. Maybe just a 3.

So French.