Widow Clicquot, 2024.
Directed by Thomas Napper.
Starring Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge, Sam Riley, Leo Suter, Ben Miles, Anson Boon, Natasha O’Keeffe, Chris Larkin, Paul Rhys, Ian Conningham, Cara Seymour, Christopher Villiers, Phoebe Nicholls, and Cecily Cleeve.
SYNOPSIS:
After her husband’s untimely death, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot flouts convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured together.
There is unquestionably a worthwhile, empowering story to tell about the widowed Barbe Nicole Ponsardin-Clicquot—hence the title Widow Clicquot—transforming her dead husband’s struggling vineyard into the recognizable champagne brand that still thrives today.
This is not that movie, as directed by Thomas Napper and screenwriter Erin Dignam (based on a book by Tilar J. Mazzeo, with Christopher Monger also receiving a story credit), doesn’t have much of an interest in diving into the trials and tribulations of Madame Clicquot’s (an admirably resistant, determined, and strong-willed Haley Bennett) entrepreneurial accomplishments beyond rushing through the broadest of plot point hurdles, dedicating the majority of the time to not only flashbacks of her arranged marriage with François Clicquot (a neurotic Tom Sturridge overplaying his connection to nature and poetry in such a manner that he feels like he belongs in a different movie), but also a romantic endeavor with Louis (Sam Riley), who takes on wine distribution duties.
That’s not to dismiss Madame Clicquot having the freedom to explore love and sex on her terms following her husband’s tragic death from sickness, but it serves as a roadblock to the far more refreshing a compelling intricacies of watching a woman defy her father-in-law (Ben Miles) instructing her to sell the property, perfecting these champagne concoctions, finding plausible trading routes during a time of Napoleon control and war, and earning the respect of her employees and acquaintances in what is otherwise a male-dominated role. It’s a stretch to say that anyone will come away with a greater understanding of what separated her champagne, a sense of the challenge, or anything related to running a vineyard.
On the flip side, there isn’t anything deep to take away from either romance; one still wonders how Madame Clicquot fell in love with her arranged lover beyond their shared ambition for the vineyard, and Louis’s pivot from co-worker to something more intimate feels empty (although again, some forgiveness can be granted here considering it’s also coming from a place of liberation.)
The second unit director of several Joe Wright films brings talented cinematographer Caroline Champetier aboard, so the vineyard is at least captured with a sense of beauty, often using natural lighting. There are also several shots with an artistic touch, but there isn’t much substance behind any of those images other than the plausible, surface-level fact that this is a film about a woman making it in a man’s area.
Any dilemma, whether for obstacles with the champagne and vineyard or relationship troubles, is typically burned through at such a speed there is no sense of how anything affects the characters. The film is hitting beats with speed, but somehow a lack of engagement that renders the whole endeavor a reductive slog to endure. It wouldn’t be fair to say that it’s the fault of the performances, which are mostly serviceable; Thomas Napper simply never finds the right approach or balance for telling this tale about an extraordinary entrepreneur. Nothing about Widow Clicquot will improve like a fine wine in time.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
