Film

For those of us who are French-impaired, the title of Claude Lelouch’s latest film translates loosely as “pop literature,” i.e., those pulpy page-turners perfect for long plane rides and beach reads. The movie, in other words, lays its intentions bare before the theater lights have even dimmed: Expect a pleasant, possibly trashy diversion for a little while and then go about your business.

A murderer known as “the Magician” has escaped from prison. Soon after the bulletin goes out on the airwaves, we meet Louis (Pinon), a creepy gentleman performing illusions in a gas station. Fate puts a young woman (Dana) in need of a ride, and Louis is only too happy to oblige. But where, you ask, does the reappearing mystery writer (Ardant) fit in?

All is eventually revealed, and it’s a credit to the central trio of actors (especially Pinon) that the film’s abundant—and often unbelievable—twists work at all. Though Lelouch (A Man and a Woman) has toned down his penchant for putting pretty pictures ahead of plot, there’s still a nagging sense of disposability. Like the Nescafé the characters drink or Gilbert Bécaud’s Muzak-like numbers on the soundtrack, the movie simply feels like something to kill time until the genuine article arrives.