It's 1977. Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Deneuve) is a restless housewife. Her husband Robert runs her family's umbrella factory badly and dismisses Suzanne. He has workers strife, financial malfeasance, and mistresses. He gets taken captive by the workers and Suzanne comes out of the kitchen to save him. Robert has a heart attack and hospitalized. Suzanne with old flame Maurice Babin (Gérard Depardieu) and her children Joëlle and Laurent work to end the strike and fix the company. Maurice is a former union leader and the local mayor. Joëlle has marriage problems of her own and sees her mother as nothing more than a happy housewife. Laurent is a leftist artist. When Robert recovers, he and Suzanne end up fighting for the company.
Catherine Deneuve is wonderful doing a few different roles of her character. I like her story. I can do without Maurice. He's a distraction and I don't like where the movie goes in the third act. I would have liked for her to stay with the company. It seems to take a slightly wrong turn. The drama starts with the company and should end with the company. It's also a missed opportunity to have fun with the employees. There is one fun scene with the union but the movie doesn't add to it. This is a good woman-power movie but it's got a few problems.
Catherine Deneuve is wonderful doing a few different roles of her character. I like her story. I can do without Maurice. He's a distraction and I don't like where the movie goes in the third act. I would have liked for her to stay with the company. It seems to take a slightly wrong turn. The drama starts with the company and should end with the company. It's also a missed opportunity to have fun with the employees. There is one fun scene with the union but the movie doesn't add to it. This is a good woman-power movie but it's got a few problems.