Mariees mais pas trop / The Very Merry Widows is a light-hearted, romantic comedy in which a femme fatale initiates her granddaughter into the family business of serial widowhood. Renee (Birkin) is an expert at wedding and rapidly surviving old rich guys.
Insurance investigator Thomas (Jeremie Elkaim) has come to settle Renee’s latest claim when he observes Laurence (Emilie Dequenne) arriving to surprise the grandmother she hasn’t seen for 16 years. Renee soon transforms her unsophisticated granddaughter, providing tutorials in the art of snaring wealthy men. Thomas soon finds Laurence more interesting that her grandmother, while Renee becomes involved with the spry bon vivant Maurice (Pierre Richard). Similar in many ways to the recent Heartbreakers, the film has a great sense of fun and energy and the actors bring a certain to charm to their characters. The pairing of Jane Birkin and Emilie Dequenne works well, even if the former is cast against type as a cynical femme fatale (making a huge contrast with the public perception of the popular singer/actress). Pierre Richard, a once hugely popular comic actor in France, brings the film to life whilst the young and talented Jeremie Elkaim gives the film a further injection of exuberance and sex appeal. Mariees mais pas trop can be enjoyed for what it is, a delightfully tongue-in-cheek comic romp.