THE PRESIDENT’S WIFE (2023) review
written by: Léa Domenach
produced by: Léa Domenach and Clémence Dargent
directed by: Léa Domenach
rated: not rated
runtime: 95 min.
U.S. release date: April 18, 2025
The French 2023 political comedy “Bernadette” is finally making its way to the States, retitled “The President’s Wife”. It stars French actress Catherine Deneuve as Bernadette Chirac, a French politician and the widow of former president Jacques Chirac. The tone is set early on, as text appears on the screen saying this is a story loosely based on the life of Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac, but “be beware, we warn you, it is, above all, a work of fiction.” Co-written and directed by Léa Domenach, making her feature-length debut here, “The President’s Wife” is an offbeat biopic, giving the subject of politics some lively energy. However, there’s a sense that there would be a more inspiring story here if the approach had been a bit more serious.
The story begins in Paris at a voting poll on May 7th, 1995, where Bernadette and her husband Jacques Chirac (Michel Vuillermoz) are seen placing their ballots for the position of President of the Republic of France. As expected, Jacques is elected president and is soon guided by their daughter and his personal assistant, Claude Chirac (Sara Giraudeau). He is surrounded by Yes Men, such as Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (François Vincentelli), as he and Bernadette settle into the presidential Elysée Palace.
Despite her good intentions of getting involved in office discussions and decisions, Jacques disregards Bernadette and tells her to “shut up” and stay in her own lane. Claude is embarrassed at her mother’s outspoken nature and assigns a public relations advisor, Bernard Niquet (Denis Podalydès), to shadow her and make sure what she does and says is appropriate and won’t draw too much attention. This turns out to be a good thing, as Bernadette and Bernard gradually come to a mutual admiration and respect, as he helps improve her public image and instills a sense of fulfillment that he was lacking.
During the two presidential mandates, her husband is president, and Madame Chirac must contend with challenges and criticisms. There are condescending reactions from the misogynistic men that surround Jacques as well as a public that considers her stuffy and old-fashioned. There is a suggestion to update her wardrobe, which generally consists of couture crafted by German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld (Olivier Breitman), who visits Bernadette with a whole wardrobe. Knowing that the press seeks out every detail of the Chirac family, Bernadette must also decide whether or not to disclose that her other daughter, Laurence Chirac (Maud Wyler), has an eating disorder before they make it known to the world.
As Bernadette’s public opinion improves, it inadvertently boosts Jacques’s ratings, and Jacques has to feign support for his wife. It all balances out, considering she chose to tolerate his infidelities for years. Jacques’s presidency continues until he’s beaten by the election of Nicolas Sarkozy (Laurent Stocker) in 2007, a candidate Bernadette smartly supports considering his overwhelming support from French voters.
As a comedy, “The President’s Wife” doesn’t always work. Some of the humor doesn’t land right, resulting in one too many unfunny moments as Domenach and screenwriter Clémence Dargent intended. Probably the best comedic moments occur between Deneuve and Podalydès as two different people finding common ground. Still, those moments succeed because they are firstly character-driven and not overtly funny.
I admittedly know little about what Bernadette and Jacques Chirac were like in real life to ascertain the differences and similarities in their portrayals here. Still, Vincentelli’s one-note performance comes across as mostly cartoonish or just obtuse. There are no complexities to explore in their marriage, so it’s easy to see how Deneuve’s Bernadette is better off on her own. Undoubtedly, it’s great to watch Deneuve work her movie star magic with wit and poise.
Overall, I don’t believe a comedy approach to this story truly works. I appreciate that Domenach was trying a different take on the biopic genre, but it wound up feeling tonally out of place most of the time. The score by composer Anne-Sophie Versnaeyen is overly peppy at times, drawing too much attention to itself as it accentuates the light comic tone of the movie. There’s also a strange decision to randomly place a robed church choir throughout the film, belting out praise tunes (in French). It’s just one of a handful of decisions that can be appreciated but doesn’t succinctly align with the story being told.
The film premiered as “Bernadette” at the Helvetia French Film Festival on September 2023 and was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in France and Belgium the following month. Cohen Media Group acquired the distributing rights for the retitled “The President’s Wife” for a North American release.
