"Viva La Vie!" can be described as a lot of things - mystery, sci-fi, pro-nuclear disarmament statement, espionage - but what it is above all is a hoax. After an apocalyptic grabber of an opening, director Claude Lelouch appears as himself and requests from the audience not to spoil the film for those who have not seen it yet; there are indeed many surprises in "Viva La Vie!", but the last one - which, essentially, is a SPOILER "it was all a dream" type of ending END SPOILER - does not leave the viewer with a feeling of satisfaction; it most likely leaves him or her with a feeling of emptiness. The film still contains some intriguing concepts, images and sounds, and is well acted by a top French cast, but it's more of an odd curiosity than a successful cinematic experiment. ** out of 4.
Review of Viva la vie
