Tenue de Soirée

Blier's scabrous comedy is, for most of its length, achingly funny. The opening is misanthropically arresting. At a dance, Monique (Miou-Miou) tears into her meekly devoted spouse Antoine (Blanc), itemising his shortcomings while ever closer looms the enormous, eavesdropping Bob (Depardieu). With shocking suddenness, Bob knocks her to the floor and contemptuously pelts her with banknotes - 'Here's a grand - now shut up!' - before outlining his blueprint for solvency and spiritual emancipation, and sweeping the stunned pair along on a night of burglary. Noise doesn't seem to be a consideration: wealthy awakened householders are so bored that they happily collaborate with the intruders. A ménage-à-trois develops, but with a twist: Big Bob is desperately smitten with mousy Antoine, and egged on by the pimping Monique, who doesn't want to lose the meal ticket, pursues the scuttling hetero around the breakfast bar. The physical casting is preposterously inspired; if the coda is less than satisfying, blame Blier's anarchistic spirit and reluctance to finish a film.