Coup de Chance Blu-ray Review
Woody Allen returns with “Coup de Chance.”
Shot in France with a French cast, the Paris set “Coup de Chance” starts off with a chance encounter between a writer (Alain) and a married auction gallery worker (Fanny). Alain, who had a crush on Fanny since they were classmates, begins to bond with Fanny to the point where they become more than just friends. After Fanny’s rich and possessive husband Jean gets wind of the affair, he hires a private eye to see if his hunch is indeed true. Upon learning the truth, Jean carefully goes behind Fanny’s back to get revenge against Alain as it were. It’s clear that Jean harbors a much darker side that he hides from Fanny, but Fanny’s mother Camille begins to suspect something is very off about Jean. What happens next? That would be telling.
Writer/director Woody Allen has certainly become a controversial figure over the years to the point where moviegoers and studios have essentially shunned his work. MPI has found a home for several of his movies as of late. For those that are still interested in the work of the prolific filmmaker, you’ll be happy to know that “Coup de Chance” ranks among his best work in the past 20 years alongside the likes of “Blue Jasmine” and “Match Point.”
In typical Woody Allen fashion, “Coup de Chance” does feel familiar when compared to films in his filmography. It’s a drama/romance/neo-noir/dark comedy/thriller/crime-drama in the vein of a “Match Point.” Naturally, there’s also a jazz score as tends to be the case for an Allen picture. It’s a simple story that doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it’s such a compelling little movie about chance, jealousy, love, and luck that you won’t care. Allen has always had an eye for character and or relationship dramas or comedies and “Coup de Chance” proves he can still tell a good story in the twilight years of his career. It doesn’t hurt that this is also a very visually pleasing film with its picturesque France location shooting and gorgeous cinematography by Vittorio Storaro.
You likely won’t recognize the cast members here, but everyone is note perfect. Lou de Laâge is bound to be a star someday. She gives such a real down-to-earth performance. Melvil Poupaud knows how to get under your skin as the bougie scumbag Jean. Niels Schneider charms as Alain while Valérie Lemercier (also a writer and director in real life) brings the character of Camille to life.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.00:1 1080p. How does it look? The picture is a little fuzzy for my liking, but the transfer is respectable.
Audio Track: French 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? This may not be the most audio intensive film, but the 5.1 track is satisfactory.
The lone extra is a “Coup de Chance” trailer.
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