Not Here to Be Loved review

Old moves still cut a rug in Stéphane Brizé’s minimalist rom-com variation. It takes some coaxing to locate the rom and com in it, granted, but this is a film all about waiting. The 51-year-old Jean-Claude (Patrick Chesnais) has led a loveless life. Running the family bailiff firm has won him no friends, his old man harangues him mercilessly and his doctor gives him a hard ride. But when doc suggests J-C takes some exercise, our hangdog hero hot-foots it to a tango class and hoofs into the heart of a younger woman (Anne Consigny) vacillating over her impending marriage.

Transgenerational love-ins and rejuvenating dance classes are hardly fresh cine-fuel, but Brizé understates them winningly. Unspoken signals speak volumes and hesitant moves motivate the plot. Does it lead anywhere? That’s debatable. Even so, this tale of unlikely love is an equally unlikely charmer.