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The Women on the 6th Floor, Movie

The Women on the 6th Floor (Les Femmes du 6e etage) 2011

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A breezy upstairs/downstairs French comedy centering on an uptight couple living in a swanky Parisian apartment in 1962, blissfully unaware that upstairs the building's servants quarters is overflowing with illegal immigrants, all of whom are hot-blooded Spanish country girls... More

"It’s 1962. An uptight middle-class couple – Fabrice Luchini and Sandrine Kiberlain – are barely aware that the servants’ quarters on an upper floor of their Paris apartment building are overflowing with refugees from Franco’s Spain: the sisters and aunts and mothers and cousins of the legal occupant (Carmen Maura). After they hire one of them, the beautiful, mysterious, quietly challenging Maria, to be their housemaid, they are gradually made aware of their own unintentional insensitivity and are drawn out of their tired routines." (Source: NZ International Film Festival 2011) Hide

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112 votes / 14 comments The Talk

  • 51 %

    Want to See it

    What say you?

    • emmazie

      english

    • Charlotte

      If it was in english... then I might see it, but after an hour undertitles get really irritating

    • Jay

      Wow. Come on guys. Show some interest in cultures that aren't our own. Some of the best films in the world are foreign.

    • Dave

      So that's it. We can never watch films made overseas anymore cos it's so tough

    • sarcasm

      ...Ohhhh I agree with the other two, how inconsiderate to make a film in another language. Everything should be tailor-made to suit me...

    • Hehehehe

      This looks good. I shall see it.

    • Cass

      Looks fabulous!

    • Just Me

      Wow Charlotte, if I understood stupid comments I might have been able to read yours. Too bad huh.

    • Subtitlesmaster

      have to agree with jay the original girl with a dragon tattoo had english sub titles and it was MUCH better then the american one.

    • Libby

      Sounds like a good flick! After a while I'm sure the subtitles won't be noticeable :)

    • Film Lover

      French film is so much fun! New Zealanders are travellers and I would like to think we are open minded to other cultures!

    • Ricardo

      Can't wait. Subtitles usually mean no Charlottes talking to their friends and using their phones during the movie

    • Rob

      Wonderful film

    • Colin Benson

      The protagonist threatens t0 dismiss the maid for flirting. Then ends up in bed with her. What an abuse of power.! What a hypocrite!

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Flicks.co.nz Review

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Rebecca Barry Hill Flicks Writer

The idea behind this French farce sounds promising: an uptight man in 1960s Paris discovers there is life beyond an unfulfilling bourgeoisie lifestyle. But guess what? It is the poor Spanish maids upstairs who are truly living! They might not have much other than their mops and irons but they have each other, and a zest for life. We know this because they perform their housework to Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, and make a lot of noise when enjoying what little downtime they have. More

What is an occasionally charming upstairs/downstairs comedy that calls to mind last year’s big hit, The Help, is overshadowed by one unintentionally creepy relationship. Star Fabrice Luchini, 60, is a veteran of French cinema whose fortune might explain his distracting set of veneers. Thankfully, the leery smile doesn’t appear while he is watching the much younger maid Maria (Natalia Verbeke) bathe nude. His character Jean-Louis’ desire to improve the lives of his headstrong servant and her hardy Spanish friends could be seen as no more disturbing in terms of power imbalance than My Fair Lady but the romance comes off feeling exploitative, uncomfortable and unconvincing.

That’s not to say The Women on the 6th Floor is completely un-enjoyable. Despite its heavy-handed way of suggesting that the wealthy can throw off the shackles of their status and enjoy life by downsizing, it has a knowing humour and the cast put in good performances.

It fares better when exploring Jean-Louis’ relationship with his wife, Suzanne. Actress Sandrine Kiberlain deftly shows a superficial, flawed woman undergoing an identity crisis. Pity her husband wants to shag the maid. Hide

The People's Reviews

Rating:

3 ratings and 3 reviews

All reviews (3)

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Chick Flick?

Weds_Loafers Flicks Superstar (?)

This is an interesting movie. The women are real life characters (one wonders what the actors in a Hollywood remake would look like) and there is really only one male role in the entire film.
The film tracks his life-changing interactions with the Spanish maids in a very plausible way, although it is really quite a light plot. Indeed, the New York TImes described the movie as "lighter than a meringue"!
We had Frosty, Les and Pauline off sick, Graeme off to his son's wedding in Queenstown, and Richard went to see "MY Week with Marilyn" on our recommendation, so only 3 of us made it today (all male).
It was noticeable that several women in the audience were really enjoying this film (more so than us I thought), so maybe it is a "chick flick" at heart.
Nonetheless, we all enjoyed it too. 3.5 stars.

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Above Your Average Romance

BrionyJae Flicks Superstar (?)

I went along to this film not really knowing much about it, and so I had no real expectations - but, if I had, I'm sure they would have been surpassed! :) The subtitles become relatively easy to get used to, and I found myself enjoying the sound of another language (or two, really!). The Spanish maids were very likeable, and I got pleasantly carried away with their stories. The ending was actually pretty plausible and satisfying, which was a relief - there was a moment near the end of the film where things could have ended really disappointingly, or with a cliche, but this film rose above that. I probably wouldn't actively go out and watch it again, but it was still a great night out :)

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Press Reviews

A.V. Club (USA)

Never digs deeper than its broad generalizations about being poor but happy vs. rich but soulless. Full review.

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

A pleasant movie, even-tempered, a romantic fantasy. Full review.

Leonard Maltin's Picks

I like films that reveal themselves gradually, instead of following an instantly predictable pattern. That's one reason I was so taken with Philippe Le Guay's The Women on the 6th Floor. Full review.

Los Angeles Times

The French have a knack for it. They've been making funny and agreeable movie farces for forever, and seeing "The Women on the 6th Floor" makes you hope they'll never stop. Full review.

New York Times

Lighter than a meringue and as insubstantial... was designed for the gentle laughter it easily earns. Full review.

Variety (USA)

Light on bite but heavy on laughs. Full review.