My Wife Is an Actress (2001)

A slight but appealing dramatic comedy, My Wife Is an Actress explores the marital downside of fame. It's about the hazards of being married to someone--in this case the fine French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, playing a fictionalized version of herself, also named Charlotte--whose profession and celebrity pose a constant threat to matrimonial harmony. The movie dispels the fantasy of a movie-star spouse (i.e., would you really want to marry Julia Roberts?), exploring the reality with adequate humor but precious little insight. Gainsbourg's actual husband, Yvan Attal, is also her director and costar, playing Charlotte's sports-reporter husband (named Yvan), and turning jealous when she gets friendly with her current film's costar, played with world-weary charm by Terence Stamp. Surely this scenario was fascinating for French filmgoers, and as lightweight drama it's a pleasant enough diversion. Unfortunately, Attal discreetly avoids the deeper details of his life. Instead we get the shallow version, still authentic but not authentic enough. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Yvan Attal's Love Letter to Charlotte Gainsbourg.

No doubt Yvan Attal could write the book on being married to a beautiful French actress. Written and directed by Attal, My Wife is an Actress (Ma Femme est une actrice) is a French romantic serio-comedy starring Attal and his real-life wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Attal plays a struggling sports journalist (also named Yvan) who becomes insanely jealous when his beautiful actress wife (also named Charlotte) gets a part in a movie with a seductive older co-star (Terence Stamp). After Ivan is asked if he ever gets jealous watching his wife make love in the nude to another man on screen, he becomes unhinged with jealousy, turning the film into a charming meditation on the perils of fame on the French male ego. Meanwhile, Ivan's Jewish sister (Noemie Lvovsky) and her husband (Laurent Bateau) debate circumcising their baby boy. My Wife is an Actress is equally urbane, captivating, and entertaining.

G. Merritt November 6, 2008

Worth watching for the soundtrack!

Yes, this film is "lightweight", but the soundtrack is very, very good. It's definitely worth watching. January 1, 2008

ZZZZZZ!

I love Charlotte Gainsborough, but this movie was not only way too slow and drawn out as French movies often are, but also surprisingly very commonplace! The plot could've easily been taken from any run of the mill American B-movie or made-for-TV movie, there was nothing even particularly "French" about it other than the fact that it's set in Paris and the characters speak French, other than the usual fits of French hyper/melodrama here and there.

Normally I enjoy European cinema, but this one made me long for a nice Tarantino movie... May 6, 2005

Love Conquers All!

A pleasant movie, with some very funny spots. Is the job of being an actress just like any other job? In the end, according to this movie, it is . . . but I can sympathize with her husband who suffers what he considers the indignity of being a non-entity when he is with her. European actresses are not necessarily as glamorous as American actresses, and that has something to do with it too. An American actress in America would most likely not be able to have anything like a "normal" life, but it is different in Europe. An enjoyable couple of hours . . I would recommend it. November 6, 2004

If You Liked Pretty Woman...

Then you'd probably love this movie.
Not much in terms of plot construction, vague character development and shoddy resolution. All in all it has the makings of a great Hollywood remake.
Oh, but dig the train- they must have spent a fortune on first class tickets! (actually, I'm sure it was all studio shot except for the exterior scenes) October 1, 2004

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