Coup de chance was written and directed by Woody Allen, and is a French language comedy-drama thriller that many are calling his best film in years. Allen’s 50th film features great performances, engaging dialogue and a brilliant soundtrack that anchors the film in a shade of lightheartedness when it could otherwise have easily swayed into a darker vibe.

 

Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud) are happily married, successful; a perfect couple to the outside world. Fanny’s chance encounter with a high school acquaintance (Niels Schneider) disrupts this idyllic scene: in her awakens a different kind of desire in life following Niels’ profession of his love for her since their school days. Suspicions in Jean arise, bringing to the surface a different kind of man than Fanny fell in love with.

 

The dialogue in Coup de chance is expertly crafted by Allen, characters reveal themselves to the audience in ways both humorous and dramatic in their interactions with each other. This also leads to interesting moments in Coup de chance where but for the upbeat jazz soundtrack, a situation could easily read entirely differently.

This is to the film’s benefit as it allows for a consistent tone despite well handled sidesteps into different genres at certain points. Lou de Laâge is great as Fanny, however it’s when those genre shifts occur that de Laâge shines the most in Coup de chance: her performance is engaging and believable, allowing an otherwise potentially jarring element of the film feel most natural.

 

Coup de chance is a clever and charming mix of comedy, drama and thriller that benefits both hugely from a wonderful core performance from Lou de Laâge and Woody Allen’s skillful filmmaking.