Movie Review: Le Week-End

In Roger Michell’s new romantic drama, Broadbent plays Nick Burrows, a crusty out-of-work Birmingham philosophy lecturer who returns to Paris with wife Meg (Duncan), a teacher, some 30 years after their honeymoon in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage.

The couple, who are advancing in both age and tension, arrive in the City of Love with good intentions, but these are soon dispensed with as the journey encounters one obstacle after another. With limited resources, the couple eat at a posh restaurant but cannot afford to pay the bill and devise a way of exiting the establishment without being spotted.

They also discover they are unable to pay for the upgraded hotel and what starts out as a pleasant enough trip turns into something of a nightmare with the couple forced to live by their wits.

Picture: Supplied

Eventually, the two bump into Morgan (Goldblum), with whom Nick went to university and who is now a successful writer. Morgan invites them to a dinner party at his sumptuous apartment, which ultimately opens up a new view of life and love for the ageing couple.

This is the fourth collaboration between director Roger Michell and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi and it certainly has its moments, posing questions about old age, coming to terms with empty-nest syndrome and trying to rekindle a spark in a thorny relationship. The union between Nick and Meg is well defined and imbued with droll humour and emotional drive. One can feel the burden of their circumstances weighing heavily on them.

Thanks to the acting prowess of these seasoned, mature players, as well as the sleek Jeff Goldblum, the spirit of the production is raised. A bonus is the many sights of Paris, which unfolds in all her glorious moods. Le Weekend manages to capture the city’s inherent charm with a series of captivating images.