All About Corinne might not be anything revolutionary, it is certainly a joy to watch such a talented group of actresses poke fun at the very industry that they all know so well.
All About Corinne marks the great Isabelle Huppert’s latest excursion into comedy, a genre which I’ll always welcome seeing her in. This time around, the very premise seems to poke fun at her established icon status, placing her in the role of Corinne, a struggling background actress who’s never managed to "make it" in the industry despite her years of hard work. The idea of Huppert playing an extra is comical, and I felt almost worried at the amount of belief we’d have to suspend in order to buy into this character. But like anything else, she takes the part on in stride; before long there is only Corinne, an empathetic if somewhat cringeworthy woman who would do just about anything to land a meaningful role and turn her bad luck around.
Supporting Huppert in the cast are a number of other established actresses including Sandrine Kiberlain (L'Accident de Piano), Anne Marivin (Sous la Seine), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and Ana Girardot (Deux moi), all of whom play fictionalized versions of themselves. For those who’ve seen and enjoyed Call My Agent! (Dix pour cent), this format might feel pleasantly familiar, and indeed Fitoussi worked as both a writer and director for certain episodes across the series, including the episode in which Huppert guest-starred.
Perhaps this familiarity (both in a personal sense and with the overall tone of the project), gave the film its confident, easy feeling. I never felt as though we were getting bogged down in complicated sub-plots, or that any of the conflicts Corinne faced were being drawn out or overwritten. The integration of Huppert’s fictional character with the other actresses felt natural (although certainly comical), as Corinne worked to gain their approval in the hope that this might lead her to a better job.
When her relationship with Kiberlain kicks off, and the latter realizes that perhaps there’s more to Corinne than meets the eye, the film really gets its wings. The two bounce off one another wonderfully, never letting us forget the power imbalance that hangs over their friendship-with-work-benefits, but also leaving room for a real connection. As it turns out (and perhaps unsurprisingly given that it is Huppert after all), Corinne is quite the actress, with a wealth of knowledge picked up from time spent reading about the craft during long hours on (or rather, off) set. Kiberlain takes her on as a kind of mentor, realizing that perhaps they can learn a thing or two from one another. It’s the kind of interesting and complicated relationship between two women that isn’t often spotlighted in a fun story like this, where romance often seems to be the first thing writers grab at when it comes to exploring a crossroads in a woman’s life.
So while All About Corinne might not be anything revolutionary, it is certainly a joy to watch such a talented group of actresses poke fun at the very industry that they all know so well. Despite the humorous premise and the very present comedy throughout the film, there is absolutely commentary to be found on the state of the industry, especially as it relates to the treatment of aging female performers. It’s great to see a film that manages to balance such topics with humour, without having to sacrifice the very real points it wants to make.
All About Corinne had its North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on September 14th, and will be released in the U.S. through Cohen Media Group, with dates to come.
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