Paris, in the early 1960s. Jean-Louis Joubert is a serious but uptight stockbroker, married to Suzanne, a starchy class-conscious woman and father of two arrogant teenage boys, currently in a boarding school. The affluent man lives a steady yet boring life. At least until, due to fortuitous circumstances, Maria, the charming new maid at the service of Jean-Louis' family, makes him discover the servants' quarter on the sixth floor of the luxury building he owns and lives in. There live a crowd of lively Spanish maids who will help Jean-Louis to open to a new civilization and a new approach of life. In their company - and more precisely in the company of beautiful Maria - Jean-Louis will gradually become another man, a better man.
[It] has drama, comedy, romance and class politics. It also introduces an element of ethnic prejudice to the mix.
– Michael O'Sullivan,
Washington Post,
11 Nov 2011
fresh:
A sweet yet occasionally heavy-handed comedy about class relations in 1962 Paris...
– Moira MacDonald,
Seattle Times,
25 Nov 2011
fresh:
The film doesn't blaze adventurous new trails, but it dramatizes the stories of those underappreciated servants with an engaging mix of romance, droll humor and upstairs-downstairs social consciousness.
– Colin Covert,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
1 Dec 2011
rotten:
The film sidesteps all complexities and leaves us with a closing shot that should come with a bucket.
– Dave Calhoun,
Time Out,
5 Jul 2012
fresh:
All in all-if all is meant moderately-the story leaves an agreeable aftertaste, which lingers longer than we expected.