Director Roger Michell is perhaps best known for Notting Hill, a romantic comedy about blossoming love. With Le Week-End he takes an altogether different approach to matters of the heart, focusing on the troubles faced by a couple as they approach retirement. Starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as a married couple desperately trying to rekindle their flagging relationship as they mark their anniversary in France, Le Week-End forgoes outright belly laughs in favour of acutely observed dialogue which beautifully reflects the emotional crossroads its characters have reached. Broadbent and Duncan inhabit their characters effortlessly, but the real surprise comes from Jeff Goldblum as the hugely successful academic they visit for a meal. It's at this dinner party where everything in the film comes together, the dialogue sparkling with wit and warmth.
