Le Grand Role

First Run Features

Written by: Daniel Cohen, Daniel Goldenberg, Steve Suissa and Sophie Tepper

Adapted from Daniel Goldenberg’s novel Le Grand Role

Directed by: Steve Suissa

Starring: Stéphane Freiss, Bérénice Bejo and Peter Coyote

In French with English subtitles

In movies, when we are introduced to a couple that is enamored of each other, it’s often a safe bet that one of them will become the innocent victim of something dreadful. France’s sentimental Le Grand Role, despite its intriguing subtexts, is no exception to this pattern.

Small-time actor Maurice Kurz (Stéphane Freiss) adores his lovely wife Perla (Bérénice Bejo) to the extent that he secretly takes candid, keepsake photos of her. Perla is equally affectionate for Maurice, as just the thought of him attending temple sends her into a lustful tizzy. But Perla has been keeping secrets of her own, and her increasing reticence causes Maurice to fear that she might be having an affair.

At the same time, Maurice and his tight band of four other Jewish actor friends learn that prominent American director Rudolph Grichenberg (Peter Coyote) is arriving in town to cast the role of Shylock for a Yiddish film version of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Grichenberg’s character appears to be based on Spielberg, at least in terms of stature, so landing the role would be a life-changing event for any of the five actors. Maurice, who doesn’t speak Yiddish, possesses a mix of humility and composure that appeals to Grichenberg. Through the director’s encouragement, Maurice rediscovers a passion for his art, picks up some Yiddish and wins the role of Shylock. But when Maurice tells Perla the good news, she finally unloads her secret on him.

Le Grand Role, which examines how performance enters into our private lives, while also touching upon what it means to be Jewish in today’s culture, intends to be a sweet film. But, unwittingly, it reveres vocation at the expense of Maurice and Perla’s love—the result of an implausible plot that prolongs the secrets and lies that keep the couple apart in the latter stages of the film.

Aside from this, and ill-timed high jinks, there’s nothing shoddy about Le Grand Role. Suissa composes a variety of attractive interior and exterior Paris settings, and exhibits master’s touch when he negotiates an apartment shot with a mirror reflection. Freiss, with his sunken eyes and perpetual stubble, is quietly commanding yet amiable as Maurice, at times resembling Belmondo. And Bejo remains alluring throughout. But Coyote steals the show. Somehow, he manages to fuse the Spielberg prototype with a near reprisal of a scene he performed for Spielberg in E.T. more than 20 years ago!

Le Grand Role is adapted from Daniel Goldenberg’s novel of the same name, and the film has been screening at Jewish film festivals this year. It’s curious how the Jewish concerns raised early in the film are, in the end, subverted by Hollywood improbability.

4 Blips out of 10

Words by Chris Baxter

Under the Radar Film Review Rating Guide

0 Blips out of 10: All evidence of its existence should be destroyed.
1 Blip out of 10: "Get out of the house!" The filmmakers should pay you to sit through this.
2 Blips out of 10: "This is so bad it’s gone past good and back to bad again."
3 Blips out of 10: So bad it’s good. Midnight movie potential.
4 Blips out of 10: Not recommended. Derivative, predictable or simply not entertaining.
5 Blips out of 10: A mixed bag. See at your own risk.
6 Blips out of 10: A good film overall. Recommended despite its flaws. Try a matinee or second-run theater.
7 Blips out of 10: A very good film. Minor flaws are overshadowed by memorable scenes, dialogue or performances.
8 Blips out of 10: An excellent film. Deserves to be seen in a first-run theater before future repeated viewings at home.
9 Blips out of 10: A potential classic. Achieves excellence in all the facets of filmmaking, from writing, directing and performance to photography, editing, sound design and score. See in a first-rate movie house.
10 Blips out of 10: Cinema magic. An artistic landmark that will remain a touchstone for future generations of movie fans and filmmakers.