Bright Days Ahead means to be a casual, charming movie about a woman taking charge of her life, but its lightness gets unbearable; the film is so featherweight that it eventually blows away.
Bright Days Ahead(Les Beaux Jours)
✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
France · 2013
1h 34m
Director Marion Vernoux
Starring Fanny Ardant, Laurent Lafitte, Patrick Chesnais, Jean-François Stévenin
Genre Drama, Romance
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Caroline has finally retired from her dental practice, but her newfound freedom comes with an intense boredom. At the suggestion of her daughters, she joins a club for retired people and begins attending a computer science class there. She begins to rediscover herself while embarking on an affair with Julian, her much younger instructor.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz
Bright Days Ahead offers an interesting twist on the May-December romance.
A romance not nearly as seductive as its lead actress.
Los Angeles Times by Gary Goldstein
The well-observed script touches on a number of everyday issues about the aging process — whether you're pushing 40 or passing 60 — that add a tender and enlightening layer to this engaging, leisurely paced film.
Ultimately, this is all about Caroline, and it's refreshing to see an optimistic story about an older woman who is funny, smart, and desirable, even if her happy life doesn't leave much room for conflict.
Entertainment Weekly by Leah Greenblatt
The script is wispy, but the performances (including Patrick Chesnais as Caroline’s prideful, devastated husband) shine.
Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan
Even if her turn in Bright Days Ahead feels overly familiar, especially after Deneuve's recent "On My Way," Ardant is still possessed of the same Gallic poise and presence, and generally a joy to watch.
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
Struggling to get out from under the film’s too-cheery surface is a much more serious movie about grown-ups confronting the depredations of old age.
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