What makes it different from others?

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

If Une Femme de Ménage (The Housekeeper) is, as some critics have said, a French soufflé, it was made with bitter-sweet chocolate. This somewhat rueful, somewhat ironic and generally good-natured film is the story of Jacques Gautier (Jean-Pierre Bacri), a middle-aged sound engineer in Paris whose wife has left him for another man. Gautier is a reasonably fit, attractive, balding man still coming to grips with living a life without a wife. His apartment is a mess. So he decides to hire a housekeeper, someone who will come in once a week and clean up after him. The woman who answers his ad is 20-year-old Laura (Emillie Dequenne) who, it turns out, has never been a housekeeper but who needs a job. If Jacques is the kind of man who hurries to clean up his apartment before the housekeeper arrives, Laura is the kind of young woman who cleans more or less well while wearing very short skirts and tops that allow for a generous decolletage. It's not long before Jacques decides, accurately, that he needs his apartment cleaned more often than once a week, and that Laura sees him as someone she could like a lot. In fact, it's not too long before she confides that she must leave the place she shares because she's splitting up. She has no place to move to. Before Gautier is quite aware of the consequences, Laura has accepted his invitation to temporarily stay with him. And before long, as well as cleaning the apartment, cooking the meals and ironing his clothes, she's sharing his bed. Gautier doesn't object, really, especially when the wife who left him, played grimly by Catherine Breillat, shows up at his door and tells him she'd like to come back. Gautier is wise enough to have none of that. When Jacques decides to get away and clear his head with a visit to an old friend on the Brittany coast, he suddenly finds Laura is accompanying him. For a 50-year-old man, having a 20-year-old lover has its advantages. Ah, but...when Laura wants to dance until midnight, Jacques begins to think about going to sleep at 10. When Laura sunbathes at the beach, Jacques remembers to wear his cap. When Laura urges him to go swimming in the ocean, Jacques can only think about how cold the water might be. When Laura enjoys her rock music at full volume, Jacques tries to listen to his classical music on low. The battle of the sexes combined with the battle of the generations was never more poignant. And when it's time to leave, and after Laura has taken to wearing Jacques' old wedding ring so that they can pretend to be married, Laura discovers a new truth. "In Paris I'm you're housekeeper. I feel good here. I want to stay." When Jacques says he must return to his job, Laura adds, "I've met someone." Poor Jacques. Is it with regret or relief that he finds himself sitting on the beach with Laura on one side and the mother of Laura's new friend on his other...the attractive mother who thinks Laura is Jacques' daughter. We know what Laura is going to do. Other than return to Paris, do we know what Jacques is going to do? Does Jacques know? For middle-aged men who think 20-year-old crumpets will bring new life and energy, they may want to avoid this movie. For everyone else, it's a pleasant and amusing excursion into rueful honesty. One of the reasons the movie works so well is the performance of Jean-Pierre Bacri. He's a fine actor with a face that can look skeptical, quizzical and thoughtful, as well as, in some of his movies, tough. He reminds me a little in looks of Michael Ironside. Watch him in Place Vendome; he keeps us guessing whether he's a tough guy or a sympathetic guy. Emillie Dequenne gives us an uneasily pleasant portrayal of a young woman who doesn't want to hurt anyone, but, after all, believes life is meant to be enjoyed as it comes. However, it's the women of Jacques' own age who make interesting impressions, even in small parts. While Breillat might make us think twice, she's a vivid presence. The actresses who portray Claire, an old friend of Jacques', and the mother of Laura's new best friend, give us portrayals of such attractive, friendly sophistication that we hope the next time around Jacques sticks with his own age.

This is a good film but because there are some plot holes it cannot rise much above this. It is the story of a middle aged (and rather DULL) man who has recently become single, as his wife left him for another. He's a busy man so he decides to get a part-time housekeeper to tidy up his little apartment. All seemingly goes pretty well until after a few weeks, the much younger housekeeper tells him she is now without a place to live and asks if she can temporarily stay with him. At first he says no, but quickly agrees.So far, so good. Here is where the first problem with the plot occurs. Although they both tend to live rather separate parallel lives in the apartment, inexplicably they start a sexual relationship that seems to come out of nowhere. Apart from feeling grateful he let her stay, it is hard to understand the motivation she had for sleeping with him--he doesn't give very much of himself to her emotionally. For his part, he just seems to be using her for sex in the beginning. Over time, he begins to SLOWLY give himself over to her emotionally but he always seems to be holding back too much. Her intense love of him at this point is just too unbelievable. However, eventually, her love cools and by the end of the picture she's with another (whose mother then makes overtures to our male lead--thinking he's the housekeeper's father). This part actually rang much more true than the original love affair, as I just couldn't see what kept them together at all (despite excellent acting).

He's 50ish, contended being recently single, and in need of a housekeeper for his small bachelor flat in Paris. She's young, beautiful, deliciously jiggly, most accommodating in every way, and in need of work. He hires her as a part time housekeeper and she slowly insinuates herself into his life while he simply enjoys her, keeping things in perspective in a most mature way. "The Housekeeper" is a delightful for-men-only slice of life flick which is a sweet little tonic for the male midlife crisis. Go ahead, guys. Admit you're human and enjoy. (B)

While some Americans on lower rungs of the cultural ladder are clamoring for "freedom fries," those who appreciate the special verve and wit often the backbone of a good French film won't want to miss "Housekeeper" (the U.S. title).What could have been little more than a ninety-minute sitcom sparkles both because of the fine performances of the two leads and the story which deviates from an anticipated trite line.Jacques (Jean-Pierre Bacri) saw his marriage crumble when his wife departed. A recording engineer for both jazz and classical discs, he lives a messy life and needs a housekeeper. Responding to an ad he posted in a nearby cafe, Laura (Emily Duquenne) is about twenty years younger than Jacques and eager for the job. Actually desperate. Despite a Luddite reaction against single male's best friend - the vacuum cleaner - Laura straightens out Jacques's flat. But then she asks to move in for a few days as her boyfriend is kicking her out solely because their relationship has ended (we never see this most unreasonable man).One thing leads to another and, no surprise and not a spoiler, Jacques and Laura find themselves making passionate love. She clearly is deeply in lust with him and they take a holiday, motoring to the coast.What happens next? - hey, see the film.A man Jacques's age finding himself with a besotted, beautiful and very horny young woman would, in most stories, be either exploitive or lost in the fantasy of a perceived stroke of incredible fortune. Director Claude Berri gives Jacques a more interesting persona. He has no qualms or guilt about bedding the lovely Laura but he is neither the kind of man who takes selfish advantage of women nor the sort who takes leave of his senses. He's wholly appealing as a decent guy, not a cad or a fool.Laura? Ms. Duquenne plays her character to perfection. She's the kind of ingenue most men want and fear and the daughter who can drive any parent to drink. BUT...she does windows!!!!!Frederic Botton composed a brisk, very nice score."Housekeeper" won't show in many cities but put in on your "To Rent" list.8/10.