• Latest
  • Trending
The President's Wife Review

The President’s Wife Review: Catherine Deneuve Reigns Supreme

Mob Cops Review

Mob Cops Review: All Exposition, No Execution

A Vanishing Fog Review

A Vanishing Fog Review: Finding Beauty in the Coming End

Among The Whispers - Provocation Review

Among The Whispers – Provocation Review: More Detective Than Ghost Hunter

Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review

Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review: An Afterlife of Inconsistent Rules

Treading Water Review

Treading Water Review: A Phenomenal Performance in a Fractured Film

A Normal Family Review

A Normal Family Review: Four Performances in a Pressure Cooker

Drop Dead City Review

Drop Dead City Review: Portrait of a City as a Dying Animal

Into the Restless Ruins Review

Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

All the Lost Ones Review

All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

Kieran Culkin

Culkin Tells Fans to “Lower Expectations” for His Caesar Flickerman

3 hours ago
Jared Leto

Nine Women Detail Sexual-Misconduct Claims Against Jared Leto

3 hours ago
David E. Kelley

Kelley Says Cast Ready but Contracts Pending for ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 3

3 hours ago
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Gazettely Review Guidelines
Sunday, June 8, 2025
GAZETTELY
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Kieran Culkin

    Culkin Tells Fans to “Lower Expectations” for His Caesar Flickerman

    Jared Leto

    Nine Women Detail Sexual-Misconduct Claims Against Jared Leto

    David E. Kelley

    Kelley Says Cast Ready but Contracts Pending for ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 3

    Twelve Moons

    Tribeca Crowd Rallies Behind Victoria Franco’s Fertility Drama Twelve Moons

    Gerard Butler

    Gerard Butler Boards Live-Action How to Train Your Dragon as Stoick

    american psycho

    Mary Harron Confronts American Psycho’s Unwanted Wall Street Fanbase

    Death Does Not Exist

    Annecy Debut for Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s Death Does Not Exist

    Martin Scorsese

    Scorsese Shuns Cinemas, Citing Distracting Audiences

    Sarah Jessica Parker

    Sarah Jessica Parker Confronts Fan Fury While AJLT Moves On Without Che

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Mob Cops Review

    Mob Cops Review: All Exposition, No Execution

    A Vanishing Fog Review

    A Vanishing Fog Review: Finding Beauty in the Coming End

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review: An Afterlife of Inconsistent Rules

    Treading Water Review

    Treading Water Review: A Phenomenal Performance in a Fractured Film

    A Normal Family Review

    A Normal Family Review: Four Performances in a Pressure Cooker

    Drop Dead City Review

    Drop Dead City Review: Portrait of a City as a Dying Animal

    The President's Wife Review

    The President’s Wife Review: Catherine Deneuve Reigns Supreme

    All the Lost Ones Review

    All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review: Grief Without a Deeper Why

  • Game Reviews
    Among The Whispers - Provocation Review

    Among The Whispers – Provocation Review: More Detective Than Ghost Hunter

    Into the Restless Ruins Review

    Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

    Lies of P: Overture Review

    Lies of P: Overture Review – A Perfect, Paradoxical Prelude

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review – Hondo’s Best Outing Yet

    Mario Kart World Review

    Mario Kart World Review: The Thrill of the Race, The Emptiness of the Road

    POPUCOM Review

    POPUCOM Review: A Creative Co-op Masterpiece with Flaws

    Without a Dawn Review

    Without a Dawn Review: Introspection in a Cabin of Shadows

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review: Precision Platforming with a Divine Twist

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review: A Painter’s Tale in Bohemia

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Kieran Culkin

    Culkin Tells Fans to “Lower Expectations” for His Caesar Flickerman

    Jared Leto

    Nine Women Detail Sexual-Misconduct Claims Against Jared Leto

    David E. Kelley

    Kelley Says Cast Ready but Contracts Pending for ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 3

    Twelve Moons

    Tribeca Crowd Rallies Behind Victoria Franco’s Fertility Drama Twelve Moons

    Gerard Butler

    Gerard Butler Boards Live-Action How to Train Your Dragon as Stoick

    american psycho

    Mary Harron Confronts American Psycho’s Unwanted Wall Street Fanbase

    Death Does Not Exist

    Annecy Debut for Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s Death Does Not Exist

    Martin Scorsese

    Scorsese Shuns Cinemas, Citing Distracting Audiences

    Sarah Jessica Parker

    Sarah Jessica Parker Confronts Fan Fury While AJLT Moves On Without Che

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Mob Cops Review

    Mob Cops Review: All Exposition, No Execution

    A Vanishing Fog Review

    A Vanishing Fog Review: Finding Beauty in the Coming End

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review: An Afterlife of Inconsistent Rules

    Treading Water Review

    Treading Water Review: A Phenomenal Performance in a Fractured Film

    A Normal Family Review

    A Normal Family Review: Four Performances in a Pressure Cooker

    Drop Dead City Review

    Drop Dead City Review: Portrait of a City as a Dying Animal

    The President's Wife Review

    The President’s Wife Review: Catherine Deneuve Reigns Supreme

    All the Lost Ones Review

    All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review: Grief Without a Deeper Why

  • Game Reviews
    Among The Whispers - Provocation Review

    Among The Whispers – Provocation Review: More Detective Than Ghost Hunter

    Into the Restless Ruins Review

    Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

    Lies of P: Overture Review

    Lies of P: Overture Review – A Perfect, Paradoxical Prelude

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review – Hondo’s Best Outing Yet

    Mario Kart World Review

    Mario Kart World Review: The Thrill of the Race, The Emptiness of the Road

    POPUCOM Review

    POPUCOM Review: A Creative Co-op Masterpiece with Flaws

    Without a Dawn Review

    Without a Dawn Review: Introspection in a Cabin of Shadows

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review: Precision Platforming with a Divine Twist

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review: A Painter’s Tale in Bohemia

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
GAZETTELY
No Result
View All Result
The President's Wife Review

All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

Home Entertainment Movies

The President’s Wife Review: Catherine Deneuve Reigns Supreme

Shahrbanoo Golmohamadi by Shahrbanoo Golmohamadi
3 hours ago
in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on WhatsAppShare on Telegram

The year is 1995, and as Jacques Chirac ascends to the French presidency, the Élysée Palace prepares for a new master. Yet, Léa Domenach’s sharp political satire, The President’s Wife, quickly turns its gaze away from the man at the podium.

Its true subject is the woman standing just behind him, Bernadette Chirac. Played by the formidable Catherine Deneuve, Bernadette is introduced as a figure out of time, a relic in dated suits whose stern public face has made her an object of quiet ridicule. She is an inconvenient fixture in her husband’s administration, a political spouse relegated to the margins.

After years of enduring her husband’s public power and private indiscretions, she refuses to remain a decorative piece in the halls of government. The film charts her decision to stop being a bystander in her own life and to instead forge a new kind of power from the very position designed to contain her.

A Calculated Metamorphosis

Bernadette’s initial predicament is one of profound irrelevance. Her degree in political science is a forgotten credential, and her opinions are actively dismissed by her own family. Her ambitious daughter Claude, an advisor to her father, treats her with disdain, while her husband’s contempt is so casual he passes her a note reading “Taisez-vous!” (“Shut up!”) during a public speech.

The turning point arrives not as an emotional outburst, but as a cold political calculation following a survey that confirms her image as an austere has-been. This realization prompts a quiet coup. Aligning with a new chief of staff, the shrewd Bernard Niquet, Bernadette begins a campaign of meticulous self-reinvention.

The plan is executed with tactical precision: her wardrobe is updated by Karl Lagerfeld, she studies the public grace of Princess Diana, and she learns to manipulate the media with a newfound deftness. The result is a stunning reversal of fortune.

She becomes a media sensation, a beloved public figure whose popularity becomes a genuine political asset. The film is careful not to cast her as a simple heroine; she is a shrewd operator, willing to employ ruthless tactics to secure her position.

Icons and Caricatures

The film rests on the shoulders of its performers, particularly the stately presence of Catherine Deneuve. Her portrayal of Bernadette is a masterclass in precision and contained wit. With a subtle glance or a slight tilt of her head, she communicates volumes of disappointment and disdain, all while maintaining a composed, almost indifferent French exterior.

The President's Wife Review

Her performance gives the character a magnetic quality, making her transformation both believable and absorbing. Opposite her, Michel Vuillermoz depicts Jacques Chirac not as a monster but as a comically rendered foil. He is a goofy, lanky figure whose public charisma hides a deep-seated condescension, a self-important charlatan made foolish by his own ego.

Vuillermoz’s physical performance brings a cartoonish sensibility that amplifies the film’s satirical bite. The humorous, easy rapport between Deneuve and Denis Podalydès, as the loyal Bernard Niquet, provides a warm counterpoint to the chill within the presidential marriage.

History by Creative License

Director Léa Domenach signals from the outset that her film is a “quasi-biopic,” one that plays fast and loose with the historical record for dramatic effect. The narrative is punctuated by plainly fictionalized scenes—secret meetings with political rivals in confessional booths, a night out with a boyband—that serve its playful and puckish approach to the past.

The President's Wife Review

This fabrication is cheekily juxtaposed with moments of repurposed reality, such as Bernadette’s meeting with Hillary Clinton, where Deneuve is inserted into archival news footage via green screen. This stylistic choice underscores the film’s theme of image-making.

The camera captures the grand, stuffy opulence of French state functions, relishing the visual splendor while simultaneously poking fun at the artifice of the people who inhabit these spaces. While some of the humor is rooted specifically in French politics of the era, the film succeeds as a spirited and focused portrait of its heroine’s formidable cleverness and ambition.

Currently, The President’s Wife is showing in select theaters; it may soon be available for digital rental or purchase via platforms such as Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

Full Credits

Director: Léa Domenach

Writers: (Not specified; fictionalized biopic format)

Producers: Lily Garrison, Mark Monroe, Jon Bardin (documentary version) – Note: Producers vary in documentary vs biopic context

Executive Producers: (Biopic) Cohen Media Group; (Documentary) include Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan, Kate Barry, Mala Chapple, Tommy Coriale, Jude Gerard‑Prest, Amy Herdy

Cast: Catherine Deneuve (Bernadette Chirac), Michel Vuillermoz (Jacques Chirac), Denis Podalydès, Sara Giraudeau

Director of Photography (Cinematographer): (Not publicly listed)

Editors: Patrick McMahon, ACE (documentary)/Amy Renner (biopic article mention)

Composer: Jonathan Zalben

The Review

The President's Wife

7.5 Score

The President's Wife is a witty and stylish political satire, anchored by a masterful performance from Catherine Deneuve. While its historical accuracy is intentionally loose and its humor can be culturally specific, the film succeeds as a sharp portrait of a woman's calculated rise from the margins. It smartly focuses on the artifice of power and the mechanics of reinventing a public persona, making it a sophisticated character study smartly dressed as a lighthearted biopic.

PROS

  • Catherine Deneuve's precise and commanding central performance.
  • A witty script with a sharp, satirical tone.
  • An amusing portrayal of Jacques Chirac as a comedic foil.
  • Stylish direction that playfully blends fact and fiction.

CONS

  • Humor can be too specific to French politics for a wider audience.
  • The narrative sometimes feels light on political or emotional weight.
  • Its celebratory focus can dull the satirical edge.

Review Breakdown

  • Overall 0
Tags: ArtusBiographyCatherine DeneuveComedyDenis PodalydèsDramaFeaturedFrançois VincentelliKaré Productions / France 3 / UmediaLaurent StockerLéa DomenachLionel AbelanskiMichel VuillermozSara GiraudeauThe President’s Wife
Previous Post

All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

Next Post

Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

Try AI Movie Recommender

Gazettely AI Movie Recommender

This Week's Top Reads

  • Boglands Review

    Boglands Review: Shadows and Whispers in the Irish Mist

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Amongst the Wolves Review: A Gritty yet Compassionate Directorial Debut

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Stick Season 1 Review: Owen Wilson Drives a Heartfelt, Flawed Dramedy

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mad Unicorn Review: Ambition and Its Echoes in the Global Stream

    3 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Black Forest Murders Review: Beyond Spectacle, Into the Grim Expanse

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Death Valley Review: A Witty Welsh Wander into Cosy Crime

    3 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • MobLand Season 1 Review: Family Ties and Underworld Intrigues

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Must Read Articles

Mario Kart World Review
Reviews Games

Mario Kart World Review: The Thrill of the Race, The Emptiness of the Road

1 day ago
Echo Valley Review
Movies

Echo Valley Review: Moore Shines in a Flawed Thriller

1 day ago
Lost in Starlight Review
Movies

Lost in Starlight Review: Almost Reaches the Stars

1 day ago
Ginny & Georgia Season 3 Review
TV Shows

Ginny & Georgia Season 3 Review: Survival Is a Brutal Art Form

1 day ago
Tires Season 2 Review
TV Shows

Tires Season 2 Review: More Than Just a Blue-Collar Gag-Fest

1 day ago
Loading poll ...
Coming Soon
Who is the best director in the horror thriller genre?

Gazettely is your go-to destination for all things gaming, movies, and TV. With fresh reviews, trending articles, and editor picks, we help you stay informed and entertained.

© 2021-2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

What’s Inside

  • Movie & TV Reviews
  • Game Reviews
  • Featured Articles
  • Latest News
  • Editorial Picks

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About US
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Review Guidelines

Follow Us

Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movies
  • Entertainment News
  • Movie and TV Reviews
  • TV Shows
  • Game News
  • Game Reviews
  • Contact Us

© 2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

Go to mobile version