Molière, or Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was an important French playwright. The "Making of Molière" feature on this DVD explains that there are years in Molière's life that historians know nothing about. This leaves the door open for this movie, which is a fictional story about what could have happened during that time. Many bring up the comparison to Shakespeare in Love, and it is worthy. I find Molière to be a bit more fun and less stuffy. On a different note, the young Molière is not what I would call strikingly handsome, often seen disheveled, even when he is in finer clothes and stage makeup. He seems to rely on his charm and wit a bit more, which I found an enjoyable difference.
In Molière, the playwright finds himself in debt. Oddly enough, he doesn't have to be, as he writes wildy popular comedies. But he believes comedies to be a lower form of art, and he finds himself drawn to writing tragedies, which he is terrible both at performing and writing, it seems. He is eventually thrown in jail, but not before making a hilarious spectacle of his arrest. He is rescued by a servant of Jourdain, a wealthy merchant. Jourdain has a misplaced infatuation with a higher ranking woman named Célimène. He hopes to win her heart by writing and performing a clever play, so he enlists the help of Molière.
Molière is filled with humor and great writing. It has a well-rounded cast of characters that all face some kind of changing force throughout the movie. One of my favorite characters is Jourdain with whom Molière makes a contract in order to keep himself out of jail and to pay off his debts. You think you have him figured out as the blundering idiot of the movie, a man that thinks he can make himself into a refined, multi-talented man by paying for expensive lessons and keeping important friends. A great scene shows an obviously expensive commissioned portrait of Jourdain gallantly riding on a fantastic white horse. Outside, you see him on a horse that is being led around in a small circle by a servant or teacher - obviously a basic horseback riding lesson. On cue, he is tossed off, and the horse trots away. But even Jourdain reveals more to his character, providing some interesting moments between him and several other characters. For example, he attempts to outwit his clever wife, which only seems to work sometimes since she knows his shortcomings. But by the end of the movie, he reveals himself to have sharp tongue and some wit when he is pushed to the edge of his patience and it is revealed to him that others think of him as a fool.
This movie feels unique for being a period piece. You can really laugh with the characters, with no need to pick apart overwhelming dialogue. Although it's easily accessible, it's still complex and genuinely funny. In the end, it's also quite heartwarming. There's no need to hesitate on a rental. With a light making-of feature and commentary from the director rounding out the standard special features, it's not the best buy, but it's a good movie in general and more than likely worth your money.
