A stroke of luck – Coup de Chance by Woody Allen: the review

The word “chance” should be used judiciously, never inappropriately. In Italian it takes on the meaning of opportunity, while in French it has only one possible translation: luck. In A stroke of luck – Coup de Chance, chance and coincidence are exploredtrying to demonstrate how these exist not only when you believe in them, and that often chance, luck, cannot be built. Woody Allen’s fiftieth filmthe first filmed in French, has two sides: the first is that of one romantic comedyin which Paris It shows itself as the city of love that everyone knows, the other is darker, made up of investigation and mystery, in which the French capital is the perfect theater for a story enriched with unlikely crimes. The protagonist of the story is Fanny (Lou de Laâge), a woman who leads a seemingly perfect life, married to Jean (Melvil Poupaud), a mysterious and rich businessman, with whom he lives in a beautiful apartment in the uptown area of ​​Paris. He is obsessed with success and is deeply in love with Fanny, but in a sick, toxic way, he is possessive and tends to treat his wife like a trophy.

The precarious balance of their existence is completely lost when Fanny meets Alain (Niels Schneider), an old high school friend who has always been in love with her but never had the courage to declare himself. A clandestine relationship is born between the two, destined to arouse suspicions in Jean, doubts that will reveal the most malignant side of her. Woody Allen is back but in a less comical guise, the comedy, already presented out of competition at the Venice festival, is fully successful, pleasant and romantic without ever being saccharine, it brings smiles without ever being hilarious, letting the hilarity arise from a veil of satire present throughout the film. Allen manages to make everything work by placing himself in the role of pure observer, limiting himself to a subtle mockery of his characters, victims of the jokes that fate plays in their relationships as a couple. Although it will not be remembered among the New York director’s masterpieces, A stroke of luck – Coup de Chance demonstrates Woody Allen’s skills once again, and let’s hope it’s not the last.