(1986, French, dir. by Costa-Gavras)
Failing to keep his his occupation secret from his son and eavesdropping young daughter, Hallyday reluctantly allows his boy to join in. Turns out the boy is a technical wizard and soon business is booming.
Fanny Ardant (with Hallyday in the photo on the right) as the wife and mother isn't given much to do other than cook, wait nervously, and drink a wee bit too much. A subplot involving her wealthy family wasn't explored very fully and felt somewhat out of place. Ardant does however provide a kind of classy, detatched observace to the sometimes absurd behavior surrounding her. Hallyday and Marchand are pretty amusing as "professionals" who think they're smarter than they actually are. The two young actors who play the children, Laurent Romor and Juliette Rennes, are very well cast, with the latter getting the most laughs as an extremely precocious little girl.
There are many amusing scenes, including a couple of very funny burglaries, one of which ends in a fairly wild escape. On the whole, this is a very charming film. Of course, there are going to be some who will think it lightweight compared to other Costa-Gavras movies. If however you're willing to check such snobbery at the door, you should find yourself very entertained.
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