'Potiche': It's a wonderful wife

The title of "Potiche" translates to "trophy wife," which may seem an odd thing to call matriarch Suzanne Pojol, played by 67-year-old Catherine Deneuve. Once a rich man's arm candy, now his homemaker, Suzanne lives a life of morning jogs, breakfasts with her grouchy husband, Robert (Fabrice Luchini), and bored acceptance of his latest affair. "But of course I'm happy," she says. "I made up my mind to be."

But when Robert falls ill, Suzanne takes the reins of his umbrella factory. She improves efficiency, expands the product line, invades Asia. When a workers' strike looms, Suzanne becomes a surprisingly effective negotiator, thanks to her history (ahem) with labor leader Maurice Babin (Gérard Depardieu). By the time Robert regains his health, Suzanne is ready to oust him in a boardroom coup.

Set in 1977 and loosely based on a French "boulevard" play, "Potiche" is essentially a drawing-room comedy that pokes gentle but accurate fun at the concerns of the day: feminism, class, the Marxist-capitalist debate (how cute!) and sexual mores. Suzanne's dreamy son, Laurent (Jérémie Renier), values art above politics; her daughter, Joëlle (Judith Godrèche), is herself facing potiche-hood; Robert and Maurice vie for Suzanne's heart without quite realizing her worth.

Director Francois Ozon ("Swimming Pool") cannily fashions the film after a dated sitcom -- you can almost hear the laugh track -- but "Potiche" is thought provoking as well as funny. And through it all, Deneuve percolates with intelligence and a still-lively sexuality. Treasure, not trophy, remains the right word for her.