French Twist (1995)

French Twist is the kind of romantic comedy that feels genuinely alive—sun-drenched, mischievous, and surprisingly brave about the messy ways desire reroutes a life you thought was settled. Josiane Balasko directs with a sly, humane touch, letting the farce bubble up naturally while Victoria Abril brings a bright, restless vulnerability that makes every turn feel emotionally earned, not just “comic.” What starts as domestic upheaval becomes a playful, provocative reshuffling of roles and attractions, treating sexual fluidity less like a punchline than a fact of human weather. It won’t be for viewers craving tidy morals or conventional rom-com comfort, but if you’re open to something warm, subversive, and delightfully unpredictable, it’s a feast.

French Twist is aiming for a cheeky, sun-soaked farce about marriage, desire, and sexual fluidity upending a “normal” family, and you can see why it was meant to feel daring and liberating for its time. The problem is the storytelling often plays like a series of loose sketches rather than a sharp romantic comedy, with uneven pacing, noticeable dead spots, and a slack runtime that blunts the momentum. If you need tight plotting, consistently clever jokes, or characters who feel deeply explored instead of broadly drawn, this may test your patience. Still, there’s an offbeat charm in the performances and a breezy, anything-goes energy that might work if you’re in the mood for a messy, provocative relationship comedy rather than a polished one.