Director, Gilles Legardinier
Andrew Blake played by John Malkovich
Nathalie Beauvillier played by Fanny Ardant
Odile played by Émilie Dequenne***
Magnier played by Philippe Bas
French with English Subtitles
*** Émilie Dequenne died of cancer in March, 2025.
Synopsis/Review Part 1
MR. BLAKE AT YOUR SERVICE! caught this reviewer by surprise. I wasn’t expecting a marvelously and exquisitely made film. My initial research to write a review and an article led me to expect a quaint and subdued Franco-British dramedy of at least a 3-star rating. MR. BLAKE AT YOUR SERVICE! is so much more, rather, it is off the proverbial charts! Early on in the movie as I was getting into a frame of mind to adjust to a slow pace I eventually realized I was being seduced and subdued by the pacing as if a masterpiece was being etched and the slow etching absolutely had to be embraced. Wow!
This reviewer expects that audiences will fall under a similar spell if not the same spell that this reviewer experienced as this dramedy explored the depths of the human condition and other themes such as grief, human connections and second chances in life taking place in the trappings of what has the looks of a Downtown Abbey- esque estate drama.
Please Note: The eminent John Malkovick as Andrew Blake, perfecto! Also perfecto!, directed by bestselling French author Gilles Legardinier, adapting his own novel.
John Malkovich
Following the death of his wife, Blake is adrift. Rather than succumb to despair, however, he decides to immerse himself in someone else’s world. He ends up at the Château de Beauvillier, a fading estate owned by the proud yet emotionally shuttered Madame de Beauvillier (played by Fanny Ardant) who, too, is grappling with loneliness and regrets.
The household count is rounded out by eccentric staff and family members, each bearing his, her burdens and secrets. Blake, a savvy entrepreneur, brings emotional intelligence and an outsider’s perspective that catalyzes the stagnant energy of the household. Slowly, as his heart begins to mend, the hearts and souls of those around him also heal.
Malkovich brings a droll, understated warmth to the role as a man capable of dry acerbic witticisms substitute with empathetic tenderness. Fanny Ardant, luminous and regal, is a compelling foil — guarded but slowly dropping the guard. Their chemistry isn’t romantic yet rich with mutual respectful and inexorably earned trust – that has to be earned. Superb supporting characters — ranging from a rebellious daughter to a comically bitter cook — inject light comedy and human color while avoiding caricature from beginning to end.
Snapshot: Left to Right: Fanny Ardant as Nathalie Beauvillier; Emilie Dequenne as Odile; Philippe Magnier as the caretaker; and Céleste Brunnquell as Manon.
The setting is a lush French countryside and elegantly aging interiors inside. The cinematography is almost breathtaking. The camera lingers on sunlight through windows, sprawling lawns, and antique décor—inviting viewers into a world of gentle decay and gentle healing.
Though it is suggested that this film is for fans of films like THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL or those who enjoy understated stories about rediscovery and grace – the preceding is not written in stone.
Synopsis/Review Part 2
Well-known English businessman ANDREW BLAKE lost the will to live when his wife died. Hoping to remember the happy times they shared, he musters the courage to return to France, his late wife’s birthplace, to spend some time on the property where they met. But his pilgrimage doesn’t quite go to plan. Instead, because of a misunderstanding, BLAKE ends up at Beauvillier Manor as a probationary butler.
Blake unwittingly finds himself living with various characters: Mrs. Beauvillier, played by the eminent Fanny Ardant, a widow with a schedule as weird as her relationships; Odile, an implacable cook who swings influence in the chateau, played by Èmilie Dequenne; Phillippe, a nutty caretaker, played by Philippe Bas with elan, who lives like a hermit at the far end of the estate, and Manon, payed by Eugénie Anselin, a young maid burden with episodes that pockmark her life with what appears as one bad fate after another.
With every passing experience – from eccentrically funny situations to the sharing of secrets, from clashes to confessions – Blake grows closer to each one of the residents. The combination of a fall, a wig, a cat, a threadbare stuffed toy, a hilarious burglary, a few secrets and a plethora of hopes works wonders to help the man who thought he had nothing left to live for finally start blossoming all over again.
the WORD Editor Gregg W. Morris