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Film reviews
The French release of “Back Home with My Mother” generated substantial revenue, approximately double its 8.5 million euro budget. This financial success underpins the creation of a sequel to a comedic feature that cleverly paired Josiane Balasko and Mathilde Seigner. Eric Lavaine returns to the director’s chair, collaborating once more with Héctor Cabello Reyes on the screenplay. The familiar cast and plot dynamics mirror the original film’s structure, but the socio-economic commentary that fueled the initial narrative’s cohabitation storyline is absent.
The screenplay utilizes events unfolding at the mother’s residence to bring together a nosy matriarch (Balasko) and a couple navigating marital difficulties under one roof. However, Lavaine struggles to maintain momentum, hampered by superfluous scenes. The film’s attempts at warmhearted humor rely excessively on a style reminiscent of conventional television productions: brightly lit sets, actors adhering to formulas, and an uninspired, straightforward editing approach. Only Balasko’s performance elevates the film to a somewhat palatable experience, though even that charm fades quickly.