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Eric Caravaca, Nathalie Baye, Josiane Balasko, Isabelle Carré, Catherine Hiegel ... see more see more... , George Aguilar , Félicité Wouassi , Guillaume Verdier , Sandrine Le Berre , Marilou Berry , Jean-Christophe Folly , David Rousseau

Gallic actress-turned-director Josiane Balasko - a Euro cinema mainstay best known for her unconventional romantic lead in Bertrand Blier's 1989 Trop belle pour toi - helms and co-stars in Cliente, a ... read more read more...quirky and offbeat look at the bittersweet life of a male prostitute, which Balasko co-adapted from her 2005 novel with screenwriter Franck Lee Joseph. Eric Caravaca stars as Patrick, a French hustler in his mid-30s whose path criss-crosses with that of infomercial actress Judith (Nathalie Baye) in a local park. A nascent divorcee, she's in the mood for a quick fling, and follows suit with Marco, but this infuriates her sister, Irene (Balasko). Both sexual partners intend to enjoy the liaison as a one-time engagement; for better or worse, it soon repeats itself on multiple occasions and evolves into a deep-seated and very sticky relationship with lots of emotional strings. Significantly, this makes matters very complex and messy for Marco, who happens to be married to hairdresser Fanny (Isabelle Carre) and shares a residence with her, her mother (Catherine Hiegel) and her goth-decked sister (Marilou Berry, Balasko's real-life daughter)). Fanny, it seems, harbors no knowledge of Marco's real profession; when she discovers the truth, she systematically attempts to use her husband's profession to her own selfish advantages in lieu of objecting passionately or leaving him. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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40% liked it

524 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Josiane Balasko

Release Date: October 1, 2008

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DVD Release Date: February 8, 2011

Stats: 79 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (79)

  • gator681
    October 21, 2010
    gator681
    In "Cliente," Judith(Nathalie Baye), 51, divorced, runs a successful home shopping business with her sister Irene(Josiane Balasko, who also wrote and directed) who is holding out for love with a man with an advanced degree. Judith is so busy that she has no time for a relationsh... read moreip herself, and instead has sex with younger gigolos. One of them, Patrick, ne Marco(Eric Caravaca), she takes a special liking to. Judith is not Marco's only client, as he has a few other women he services and receives gifts from which he turns over to his family. They have no idea where he really gets them nor does his wife of four years, Fanny(Isabelle Carre), whose hair salon he personally keeps afloat through his moonlighting.

    "Cliente" is about the crazy things that love and money drive people to do but as Tina Turner once sang, what's love got to do with it? The movie gets off to a promising start but goes nowhere quickly while telling its story from the vantage points of Judith, Fanny and Marco. This might have looked good on paper but here it falls flat as the combination of broad comedy and kitchen sink drama never quite gels. The movie might have had a chance if told solely from Marco's point of view, allowing the details of the lives of his customers to subtly work their way into his story, which is the most compelling of the three. While Nathalie Baye is a wonderful actress and there is a worldwide shortage of movies about older women, Judith's story simply reeks of cliche.

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Critic Reviews

David Nusair
December 9, 2011
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a lamentably misguided piece of work... Full Review

Joseph Proimakis
July 2, 2009
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses

Me sygkratimenes ysteries kai kresento demena me empeiria kai sobarotita, i Balasko pantreyei tin galliki mpalafara tis me ena periergo misopsimeno kai misomasimeno koinoniko endiaferon poy se paei me... Full Review

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