La Fille de Monaco is a dull madcap comedy — an ordeal that fancies itself a trifle. Fabrice Luchini stars as Bertrand, a high-end attorney who gets summoned to Monaco to defend a socialite murderess but ends up in thrall to a bodacious Mediterranean weathergirl (Louise Bourgoin). Bertrand’s instant affection for this immaculately coiffed cookie — who painstakingly coordinates what little clothing she deigns to wear and has designs on starring in a reality series — is contrasted with his slow-building friendship with Christophe (Roschdy Zem), the bodyguard assigned to him due to the controversy of the case. The two men are a study in odd-couple opposites (one talks, the other doesn’t); the joke is that stoic
Christophe can’t protect nebbishy Bertrand from the weathergirl’s heavy-breathing predations.
It’s not a bad premise for a farce, but Fontaine consistently goes for easy gags, undermining the script’s attempt at media-culture critique. (Bourgoin’s character idolizes Princess Diana.) The consistently sloppy plotting raises a number of questions about characters’ motivations, but the biggest mystery is this: why would Fontaine enlist the great Jeanne Balibar (as Bertrand’s high-strung ex-wife) if she was only going to give her one scene?