For a great deal of cinema connoisseurs, a new Woody Allen film is still an event. “The Woodman” has long been one of our finest screenwriters and directors; his incredible filmography filled with more than a few classics. Allen is THE master of capturing the type of relatable neurosis that colors the human condition. Be it comedy or drama, even his “lesser” works are better than most films today. His latest, Coup de Chance (translated as, “Stroke of Luck”) is a Paris-set return to the more serious examination of passion and morality found in Allen’s best films, peppered with a few moments of playfully grim humor.
A wonderful Lou de Laâge is Fanny, a Parisian woman in an emotionally fidgety marriage to Jean (Melvil Poupaud), an aristocratic, well-off financier. Their circle of friends have no respect for the coupling and see her as Jean’s “trophy wife”, even as she has carved out a career for herself at a popular auction house.
On the romantic Paris streets, Fanny runs into Alain (Niels Schneider), who was a classmate when they attended the Lycée Français in New York. For Fanny, the two were more casual acquaintances than actual friends, but Alain seems eager to reconnect and later reveals that he was in love with her all along and still carries that torch.
As they walk through the beautiful Autumn afternoon, Fanny is flattered but reminds her suitor that she is a married woman. As the days go on, Alain meets her for lunch and the two reconnect. At first, it is all fairly harmless, until Fanny begins to reexamine her marriage and warm to Alain’s natural charms, eventually falling into his bed.
As for Jean and Fanny’s relationship, it seems passable, on surface levels. The couple never really argue and spend quality time together dining out (often with friends), attending parties, and spending time in their country home where Jean often invites friends to go hunting. Once Jean realizes something is off with Fanny, he hires a private detective to follow her. Woody’s screenplay shifts as sinister events are set in motion with many hints cleverly dropped. It comes to light that the picture is heading down a path more dangerous than mere adultery.
This is a story fueled by luck and chance; both the guiding devils on Fanny and Jean’s shoulders. As Jean states, rather ironically, “We make our own luck.”
While this drama morphs into a thriller that would make Claude Chabrol smile, small bits of humor find their way in, as only Woody Allen can craft them. It is here where comparison to his 2005 masterpiece, Match Point, is found. As with that film, this is deadly serious stuff, but the filmmaker finds a macabre playfulness in its final act that produces some wicked smiles.
Once Fanny’s suspicious mother (a wonderful Valérie Lemercier) comes to visit, her obsession with true crime books leads to her opening a can of worms that will put the characters into a dangerous game of chance. Or is it luck? Or perhaps, fate? Woody is having fun toying with the audience’s perception.
As do most of Allen’s pictures, this one flows to the rhythms of Jazz music. This time, it is a more funky style, fueled by Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island”, which becomes a recurring theme that gives a strangely intoxicating bounce to the plot.
Giving the film its beautiful imagery is the great Vittorio Storaro, whose blue, red, and orange motifs capture the hue of Paris in the Fall and set the right visual tone for Allen’s excellent screenplay. Beginning with 2016’s Cafe Society, Storaro has formed a strong relationship with the director, resulting in a five film streak that includes some of the most visually striking works of Allen’s career.
Woody’s latest is one of his most interesting in a while. While I liked 2020’s Rifkin’s Festival and 2019’s A Rainy Day in New York quite a lot, one could argue they aren’t “top shelf” and stayed close to the writer-director’s comfort zone without taking any real chances. While focused in its creation, Coup de Chance is organically engaging in its character design as well as its pacing. Seemingly economical, Allen’s script holds a bevy of dramatic (and darkly comical) delights and holds pointed musings on infidelity, marriage, murder, and morality.
Coup de Chance is Woody Allen’s 50th film. What a milestone for a man who started making movies in 1966, and who (since 1969’s Take the Money and Run) has made almost one film a year over fifty five years. If this is to be his final bow (the director has stated that it may very well be), this would be a fitting farewell. While not a classic, Woody’s latest work finds the master filmmaker clever as ever and in full control of the themes he loves to explore.
Make no mistake, this is a very good picture and a French soufflé of moral “crimes et délits”.
Coup de Chance
Written and Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Lou de Laâge, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Schneider, Valérie Lemercier
PG-13, 93 Minutes, Gravier Productions, Perdido Productions
