Rating: 
Summary: Eight Great Women...And A Real Stiff of A Guy
Review: I've been running my own little French film festival of late. I go on jags like that periodically. As it happened, I loaded up on a number of grim ones (NOIR ET BLANC, EST-OUEST and LA HAINE among the most recent). So I was about ready for some lighter fare and HUIT FEMMES more than filled the bill.My French film festival has also been something of a Deneuve festival as well, and seeing Catherine hold her own against seven other remarkable French actresses (and one French actor, who's a bit of a stiff)was a delight. Huppert, Ardant, Beart--and a very lively Danielle Darrieux as "Mamy" are all merveilleuses. Relative newcomers Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier are equally wonderful. As others have noted, it's sort of "Agatha Christie "en francais." With a touch of UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG thrown in for good measure. (And no, the musical numbers are not a distraction unless you're a mystery purist, and if that's the case this fun flick is not going to be your tasse de the). Not all French escapist fare fares well in tranlation, but 8 FEMMES is a bon-bon that is truly bon.
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