Product: May Fools [VHS] (1990)
Rating: 5.0
Sharp comedy
Louis Malle's superb social satire set during the time of the Paris student demonstrations in 1968. A large family gathers at the rural estate of the just-deceased matriarch. They are a varied bunch, but most of them are motivated by one thing: greed. Their only thought is how to divide up the property. But 1968 is a chaotic time, not only politically, but sexually too: the sexual revolution has begun and Malle pokes a great deal of fun at it through the blossoming horniness of these people. When reports from Paris are at their worst, the family deserts the estate and wanders the countryside overnight, fearing they will be targets of the communists. The contrast between the supposedly altruistc "revolution" unfolding on the streets of Paris and the self-centered, avaricious behavior of this family makes for wonderfully pointed comedy. In lesser hands this movie might come across as being pretentious and dull, but Malle can get to the heart of the matter very well and produces an excellent little comedy targeted at the sixties.