This film is both comedy and a melodrama about a Parisian classical music producer who lives alone in his Paris flat. He hires a housekeeper without references or much experience. Jacques was brilliantly played by French actor, Jean-Pierre Bacri. The housekeeper, Laura, is perfectly played by Emilie Dequenne. Laura ends up moving into his flat where their musical tastes reflect their ages. They also have an intimate relationship which leads to a trip to Normandy Beach where they see his old friend. Most of the film is about Jacques and Laura's relationship. Jacques is overcoming from a painful breakup with his ex-wife. Laura needs a place to crash and he offers assistance. In the end, they become friends and lovers but I think they both needed each other's companionship for the loneliness felt at the time.

A broken-down man, Jean-Pierre Bacri, is a man in a mess, both figuratively and literally. His constant hangdog expression and the state of chaos needs help.He advertises for a cleaner and Émile Duchenne turns up. The cleaner is young and naif, the older man is world-weary. Claude Berri chooses to direct Une Femme De Ménage as a very small piece and from decidedly reactionary suppositions. I dislike the notion here that the male is booth the provider and wiser, and that women need men to be complete. It may be what the film is about, but it is almost 1950s-sexism and I, for one, couldn't really get past it. All in all, while I got the text and the subtext here, and it does against its the normal conventions of romantic comedies very well, it doesn't quite get as beyond as it aims might suggest.For this viewer the ennui was good but the apparent lack of commitment, followed by the transformation, followed by a good denouement never quite gels - there is something here that irritates rather than intrigues. It wants to improvise but feels still very scripted - it can't quite make the leap. What we get at the end is a film about life as solipistic unsatisfaction disguised as a romantic comedy, which is a nice idea, but the film never quite carries the strenght of its own convicitonss.

This little French film is very little indeed: a lo-cal plot that is predictable and pointless, lighter than air. The client is a 1-note depressive and his housekeeper/girlfriend is a young thing/prop in a dreary 2-note story. What exactly is the point of the story or why we care about either of them is not clear. Skip it.

A slow meditation on winter/summer affairs. Less overtly this could be seen as a look at rebound relationships. We get far more of sour Jacques' side than that of sweet Laura's but it seems that neediness bordering on desperation is all they have in common. This was one flaw for me.I've seen this billed as a comedy...the laughs were harder to find than the romance. It may be that they were lost in translation...but at the same time I wonder if I am giving this film more credit than it's due. I see someone from Bucharest gave high marks to "Autumn in New York" which I will never rent. Well unless Joan Chen specifically orders me to do so...Anyway, back to "The Housekeeper", my *wife* gave up on this film. I'd say that's a pretty strong damning of this as a "romantic comedy." I actually did like the fact that Jacques was neither a filthy rich gent...nor a filthy lech. In fact, he was the more hesitant one wading into the waters here. However, Laura was allowed the depth of a kiddie pool. Another problem for me...Despite Jean-Pierre Bacri's frump and Emilie Dequenne's rump (sorry but really if we saw half of much of her mind as we did of her body that could have only helped this film) I can only manage a trois for this.3/10