The Iris of the title (Laure Calamy) in Director Caroline Vignal’s latest comedy-drama is married to an attractive man (Vincent Elbaz), has two wonderful daughters, a very successful dental practice, a nice apartment and has a supportive circle of friends. A good life, yes? But she’s about to turn 50 and she has an itch she cannot resist scratching. Lovemaking with her husband is dwindling away, and she realises she needs more. And when a female acquaintance suggests she try dating sites, her curiosity is aroused. Iris signs up and potential partners arrive almost instantly, as if, indeed, it were raining men.
Iris is off on a voyage of sexual discovery and is spoilt for choice. So far, so good and we get to tag along with her on a wildly differing series of dates with a wide variety of generally unsuitable men. There should have been a lot of fun in this “taste and try before you buy” scenario but somehow, it doesn’t fulfil its promise.
For one thing, however enthusiastically Iris throws herself into this new world of secret dates, it is hard to believe that she would keep her phone at all times, even interrupting the treatment of patients to check out the latest possibility. The practice suffers when she starts cancelling appointments at short notice, to the extent that her receptionist is driven to resign.
I’ve long admired Laure Calamy’s talent, and she does an exemplary job of making Iris as sympathetic as the somewhat lightweight script allows, but there are times when you just wish she would take a moment to consider that perhaps she has gone from one extreme to the other both sexually and workwise.
While there is a great deal to enjoy, I can’t help but feel that Iris’s journey could have been better told. The inconsistent tone and the pat ending don’t really help, either – it makes it seem as if there was a loss of confidence in the “new” Iris and that’s a disappointment too.
A missed opportunity, perhaps, but on the balance, it’s still worth viewing – the “It’s Raining Men” dance routine alone is worth the entrance money.
Jim Welsh
Radio Summerhall Arts 