The perfect man

"... We ended up with a scenario of a robot that arrives in a family of today or in any case, in the near future. It's not just any robot. The family has chosen it as they would choose a smartphone. It is the "latest" in the UMAN series, number 3, the most recent and the most powerful. However, it is mainly to take care of domestic tasks that Florence decides to buy this humanoid robot, but for its abilities as a handyman: she could no longer take care of everything, especially household tasks. Florence lives with a man she loves, but who doesn't give a damn at home. He is an old teenage actor-writer, alternately gruff and rock n' roll, who spends his time waiting for inspiration in the company of his best friend. What place can such an immature and macho man keep in a house where a humanoid now perfectly and without qualms does all the chores he used to avoid? This is the first question of the film, behind which lies another, which follows: can we continue to exist when we rely entirely on a machine that does everything for you and to perfection? - Xavier Durringer

Is the robot the future of man? This question has never ceased to be a source of inspiration for many novels as well as for science films, most of them American. We thus keep a strong memory of films like Blade runner (1982), the cinematographic saga Terminator (1985-2019), Robocop (1988), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). These ambitious films rely on a visionary director, spectacular special effects and perfectly oiled scenarios to impose themselves as pure unforgettable masterpieces. 

The Perfect Man thus appears to be a difficult challenge to offer a French science fiction film capable of standing up to these films, but above all to create a realistic future in which virtual reality is omnipresent and revolutionary high-tech products have become established in French households. In this case, the UMANs are androids with a human appearance created to accomplish multiple tasks to help families as well as to cook, manage the children and the necessary cleaning in the house. In this futuristic and rather realistic context, we discover a mother, Florence (Valerie Karsenti) who must not only continue to succeed in her professional life but also raise her children and manage a husband actor who is unemployed for a long time. 

As the situation becomes unmanageable for her, she decides to surprise her family and get an android Bobby (Pierre-François Martin-Laval) to help her with her domestic tasks. Bobby is an artificial intelligence with a gigantic culture on everything and turns out to be as good a cook as he is a housekeeper and a virtuoso bowler that will trigger the jealousy of Florence's husband, Franck (Didier Bourdon). Franck will not only have to win back his wife but also find a way to get rid of Bobby.

The script by Miller Duval, Xavier Durringer and Kareen Alyanakian will certainly not revolutionize the genre but mixes with a real know-how the comedy to the science fiction film and relies on a solid cast in which we find in the main roles Didier Bourdon, Valérie Karsenti, Pierre-François Martin-Laval, Philippe Duquesne and Frédérique Bel. We only regret that the end turns to simplicity and leaves a mixed impression. Similarly, despite the presence of good actors, the dialogues are often too simplistic and would have deserved a better treatment. For his sixth film after La Nage indienne (1993), J'irai au paradis car l'enfer est ici (1997), Chok-Dee (2005), La Conquête (2011) and Paradise Beach (2019), director Xavier Durringer would have benefited from proposing a more ferocious film and above all to go to extremes to make this film a memorable success. As for Didier Bourdon a good diet seems to become essential and especially that he quickly finds the Inconnus to show how he is a very good comedian when he has at his disposal a good scenario and a character more worked than that of the last films in which he appeared.

The Perfect Man
Directed by Xavier Durringer
Produced by Victorien Vaney, Kareen Alyanakian
Written by Miller Duval, Xavier Durringer, Kareen Alyanakian
With Didier Bourdon, Valérie Karsenti, Pierre-François Martin-Laval, Philippe Duquesne, Frédérique Bel, Martin Gillis, Juliette Gillis, Dominique Frot, Bernard Le Coq, Nicole Calfan
Music : David Sztanke
Image : Gilles Porte
Editing : Romain Rioult 
Production companies: Orson Films, Orange Studio
Distributed by UGC (France)
Release date: June 22, 2022 (France)
Running time : 85 minutes

Seen on June 24, 2022 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 8 seat A19

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