THE TWILIGHT ZONE benefitted from directors and writers from every walk of life. The ambitious, half an hour to an hour long program, had a vision and barriers. I’m sure at times, the short length was a detriment, but as history has told us, THE TWILIGHT ZONE became a staple of American pop-culture and a show that will infinitely be quoted, replicated, and parodied. The only thing missing from THE LADY IN THE CAR WITH GLASSES AND A GUN is Rod Sterling giving us a smoky intro into the story.
But even if it had that, THE LADY IN THE CAR WITH GLASSES AND A GUN is like a bad episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. It’s interesting, at least for the first 30 minutes, but it lacks direction, focus, a message, and a dedicated team ready to handle all the jumbled messages and consolidate them into one clear voice. That’s not to say this movie is confusing, but at times it certainly doesn’t make any sense at all, and it certainly leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
The problem with THE LADY IN THE CAR WITH GLASSES AND A GUN is that to truly talk about this movie and my problem with it, I need to reveal the big spoiler at the end. I’m not going to do that and I certainly wouldn’t think of doing it. But when you think of the best TWILIGHT ZONE episodes, it’s usually about the payoff, twist, or big reveal. It’d be much easier if I could have a spoiler version of THE LADY IN THE CAR WITH GLASSES AND A GUN, but I’m not that kind of critic. I’d like to add that at this point I’m already getting tired of typing the title.
Michel (Biolay) is Dany’s (Mavor) employer. She’s the secretary who’s tasked with every menial thing that he can think of, as well as an ear for his musings and inquiries. So when she’s tasked with a project outside of work, nothing seems suspicious to anyone involved, except the audience. So once we get to Michel’s house, there’s some casual flirting and some overt flirting, but nothing to foreboding.
Dany is left alone as Michel gallivants off. She completes the task, puts on the sexy nightwear that her boss recommended, and passes out without much worry or concern. The framing and scenario are still foreboding. But then the movie does a 180. With the task completed, Dany drives Michel and his family to the airport. After dropping them off, Dany must now return his priceless Thunderbird vehicle back to his house.
Instead of returning it immediately, she decides to take the scenic route, stopping at various locations, including the beach, countryside, hotel, and gas station. All of these pit stops have their own bizarre incidents, in which she is mistaken for someone. It’s sometimes very intriguing, and sometimes frustratingly bewildering. I continued to watch, hoping for a big SIXTH SENSE type reveal, but it never came. There’s this nagging feeling that somewhere along the lines, all this exposition was just left out to intentionally confuse the viewer.
The improbable movie just ends, feeling like a student arthouse project. Come to find out through the credits, and features, that this is based on a book. One of my favorite episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE was based on a short story. If only the director had read something far more creative to put his technical skills to magnificent use. THE LADY IN THE CAR WITH GLASSES AND A GUN has a horror/noir/70’s look and feel to it. I wouldn’t mind checking out the director’s other movies, just as long as they’re not as lacking in depth or as confusing.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p Widescreen 2:39:1) Like I stated, one of the bonuses of this movie is the way it was shot and it comes through wonderfully on this blu-ray.
Audio: (French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) Just like the video, the audio is wonderfully done.
The Man in the Car with a Pen and a Camera (26:44): Director Joann Sfar speaks at the pace of a teenage girl divulging the latest high school gossip. He talks a lot about his issues with editing and writing the movie, and frankly, it’s a lot more interesting than the movie.
The Paintings of Director Joann Sfar (2:45): Sfar offers up the paintings he painted from the set during production. This feature just feels like a chance for him to show off.
Theatrical Trailer
