Klezmer musician Simon Eskanazy wrestles with his gay nature. His conservative, orthodox family, Parisian bankers, expects him to carry on the family name by marriage. However he's irresistibly drawn to attractive young men, from gay sauna visitors to, surprisingly, the hunky son of devout New York uncle Salomon. Still, Simon secures his considerable inheritance by wedding Rosalie Baumann, that ideal lover's sister, a grand family affair. This 'investment' will only pay off if it produces another generation, but the marriage goes sour.
Man Is a Woman (1998)
L’homme est une femme comme les autres (original title)
Simon (Antoine de Caunes) is thirtysomething, at ease with his homosexuality and carrying an unacceptable overdraft on top of 40 Gauloise a day. When the uncle (Michel Aumont) he doesn’t like offers him a small fortune to get hitched, since he is the last of the male line, he hesitates long enough to discuss it with mama (Judith Magre), who takes the view: “If you have to suffer, suffer rich.”
Having set up a gay man’s nightmare, director Jean-Jacques Zilberman takes pity on all concerned and sugars the pill. Rosalie (Elsa Zylberstein), the girl in question, starts off as a naive virgin, with a string of infuriating habits, mostly to do with her health, and ends as a feisty trooper who believes that love conquers all, despite what they say in the bath houses.
The film lacks conviction, sliding between a soft approach to bisexuality and wondering where to go next. Once the feared wedding night has been crossed, made easier by her nervousness, the only running story is whether Simon is going to make it with cousin David (Gad El Maleh) before Rosalie storms off in a huff. Frankly, my dear, who gives a damn?
