Why would a man with a beautiful wife fall for his ordinary secretary?

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 1989 French film Too Beautiful for You, a successful car dealer risks his perfect life for an unexpected romance. Director Bertrand Blier challenges conventional notions of desire by pairing his protagonist with a woman who defies the aesthetic standards of his world, sparking a surreal and transformative journey.

The narrative centers on Bernard Barthélémy, a prosperous BMW dealer based in the South of France. On the surface, Bernard possesses everything society deems desirable: a stable career and a marriage to Florence, a woman of exceptional beauty. However, the equilibrium of his life is shattered when he encounters Colette, a temporary secretary at his dealership. Unlike his wife, Colette is described as plain-looking, yet she possesses a warmth that draws Bernard into an affair that fundamentally alters his trajectory.

Bertrand Blier, who wrote and directed the film, avoids a straightforward romantic comedy structure. Instead, the movie employs a non-linear timeline and incorporates surreal, fantasy-driven sequences to explore the complexities of attraction and infidelity. By juxtaposing the conventional beauty of the wife with the perceived ordinariness of the mistress, the film forces the audience to confront the irrational and often inexplicable nature of human desire, moving beyond superficial judgments to examine the emotional connections that truly dictate our choices.

Released in 1989, the film resonated with audiences, recording 2,031,131 admissions in France. Critical reception has been more measured; on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 60% approval rating based on five reviews, with an average score of 6.9 out of 10. Despite the mixed critical consensus, the film remains a notable entry in French cinema for its willingness to subvert romantic tropes and its bold, unconventional exploration of what happens when a man abandons the expected path for a connection that defies social logic.

Ultimately, the story serves as a meditation on the disconnect between external appearances and internal needs. By placing a man in a position of privilege and showing him choosing a life that outsiders might deem illogical, Blier invites viewers to question the societal scripts we follow regarding love and partnership. It is a work that prioritizes the visceral experience of the characters over the tidy resolutions typically found in the genre.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• A man’s fatal obsession with legs leads to a funeral attended only by women.
• How a modest French romantic comedy became an unexpected cinematic triumph in 1999
• A 1967 French drama explores the messy reality of infidelity and shifting personal loyalties.
• Can a factory owner and a bohemian actress bridge their worlds through art?
• Can a platonic bond between two relatives by marriage survive their spouses' infidelity?
• Why a critically panned family comedy became a surprising commercial success story
• Can a guerrilla war story capture the Australian psyche on the global stage?
• Why Dustin Hoffman believed his iconic cross-dressing role was never a comedy
• Ken Russell’s 1975 film Tommy transformed a rock opera into a surrealist cinematic spectacle.
• How a chaotic blend of Elvis and World War II created a cult classic
• Was Kurt Russell the secret director behind the cult classic Western Tombstone?
• Why Alfred Hitchcock’s 1969 spy thriller Topaz was plagued by three different endings

More in Films · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics