From 1995 to 2007, the conservative (if politically capricious) Jacques Chirac was the president of France. But, “The President’s Wife” isn’t all that interested in Chirac, played as a clueless yet charismatic charlatan by Michel Vuillermoz. The first lady, Bernadette Chirac, gets the spotlight, with the French film icon Catherine Deneuve bringing glamour and droll gusto to the part.
Spanning the years of Chirac’s presidency, this low-key comedy by Léa Domenach tracks the evolution of Bernadette’s public image from scorned spouse in kitschy-colored skirt suits to beloved girl-boss in modern Chanel threads. A Greek chorus of church singers and a disclaimer in the opening title cards tell us that this quasi-biopic is highly fictionalized. No, Bernadette didn’t secretly meet with rival politicians in confessional booths or frequent nightclubs with pop stars to rally fund-raising for her children’s hospital charity.
The film takes creative leaps in scenes like these as part of its puckish approach to mythmaking. Though other seemingly absurd moments are ripped straight from the TV news archives, such as her visit with Hillary Clinton to a primary school in central France (Deneuve is transposed onto footage of that real-life encounter with the help of green-screen tech).
Belittled by rivals and family members alike — including her daughter Claude (Sara Giraudeau), who is one of her father’s advisers — Bernadette teams up with her chief of staff, Bernard Niquet (Denis Podalydès), to revamp her political career. The duo’s scheming and easy rapport make up much of the film’s brisk humor, which at times can be a bit too culturally specific to resonate fully with non-French viewers. And while Deneuve brings a wonderful blend of neuroses and feigned indifference to her character, the film’s pop-feminist through line dulls the comedy, creating a more conventionally celebratory portrait.
The President’s Wife
Not rated. In French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes. In theaters.
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