Streaming tip: The French bourgeoisie again in Eric Lavaine's smart and gorgeous BARBECUE

What a pleasure it is to view -- in high definition, too -- the eye-poppingly gorgeous location that plays a large part in BARBECUE, another welcome addition to that ever-growing genre of modern ensemble comedies about the travails of the always-ripe-for-a-little-satire French bourgeoisie. Now available to stream via Netflix, this 2014 film tracks four couples (one of them recently split) and their single, shy-unto-near-silence friend who always tags along, as they bond, argue, spill out secrets and help each other over some tumultuous times. Not too tumul-tuous, however; this sub-genre is a spin-off of the rom-com, after all.

As co-written (with Héctor Cabello Reyes) and directed by Eric Lavaine (pictured at right), the movie sprints delightfully along as it tells the tale of one fellow in the group -- that gorgeous and talented hunk, Lambert Wilson, shown below and at bottom, who seems to grows even more so with age -- who suffers a sudden heart attack while jogging, and in the aftermath decides to change his life.

M. Wilson leads a very capable cast through its paces, which involves the stress and strain of marriage, (in)fidelity, health, economics, employment and dating -- among other travails.

The delight to be found in films such as this generally comes from the characterizations and the acting on view, as well as via the often beautiful setting in which these members of the haute bourgeoisie find themselves. Barbecue is no exception to the rule, and in fact proves one of the better recent examples of this sub-genre (certainly better than the overblown and over-long Little White Lies of a couple of years previous).

The film's look at infidelity among both men and women is done more evenhandedly than usual here, with plenty of blame and understanding to go around, and not so much of the typical patriarchal influence we often see in cinema.

The ensemble cast is excellent, with each member contributing humor and feeling in pretty much equal doses. But the film's ace-in-the-hole has got to be its amazing locations, whether it's that vacation spot high in the hills at which our troupe assembles, where the light and colors -- viewed in hi-def -- are simply exquisite, or the fine and fancy restaurant in which their final celebration takes place.

Almost no middle-class person I know can any longer afford to live like this, but the movies -- bless 'em! -- still enable us to enjoy this kind of beauty and pleasure, at least from afar. Give Barbecue a shot and bask, if only temporarily,  in its atmosphere and charm.

You'll find the film -- in French with English subtitles and running a pleasant 98 minutes -- on Netflix, and maybe elsewhere, too (though Amazon does not seem to have procured it).

Something for nothing? You know better - and so does Katie Aselton's THE FREEBIE

Modern love: Oy! Still, it's probably not much worse than was ancient love: just more options -- and more ways to screw things up. Though sometimes one does wonder. It appears that Katie Aselton (shown below) has been wondering, too, because she tackles this subject in the new film -- her first -- THE FREEBIE, which she directed and wrote and in which she also stars. Her co-star is Dax Shepard, seen here in a role that ought to bring additional luster to his steadily improving career (Zathura to Idiocracy, Baby Mama to Parenthood).

Now, it isn't as though we film-goers are not inundated yearly with movies about modern romance. There are usually -- what? --  30 to 40 or more of these opening within any 12-month period. Three months ago, when TrustMovies caught a screening of The Freebie, he had recently seen two other films dealing with a similar modern-romance subject (infidelity and its consequences) in not all that different a manner: Breaking Upward, the main claim to fame for which seemed to be that it had been made in New York City on a half-shoestring budget, and Sorry, Thanks, an On-Demand, San Francisco mumblecore-ish movie of some interest.  Ms Aselton's film is better than both. (Note: I neglected earlier to credit my compatriot Avi Offer at NYC Movie Guru for pointing out the resemblance to Breaking Upward. So, thanks, Avi.)

The Freebie is indeed a bit mumblecore (Aselton's acting resume includes The Puffy Chair and the Duplasses' Cyrus, as well as the non-m'core Easier With Practice), but you might call this "mumblecore speaking up a bit."  The screenplay is definitely more "written": tightly focused and less rambling and dithering than are some of the m'core variety. In the film we meet Annie and Darren (Aselton and Shepard, shown above) whose seven-year marriage (itch time, folks!) has grown a bit stale, at least sexually.  They're still quite attractive and alert, but they'd rather play scrabble and are relieved when one or the other opts out of lovemaking.

In the course of this 80-minute movie, they broach the subject of a one-time, no-consequences, fling elsewhere; debate the idea with each other and their friends (some of whom prove considerably wiser than they); and then do it (or not) -- with the bartender (Ross Partridge, above) and the coffee girl (Frankie Shaw, below) -- after which they face the results.  Aselton keeps her camera close in, registering the smallest changes in thought and mood, and she, Shepard and the rest of her cast are always on-point. This is a very intimate film in all meanings of the word, and so any false moves will show -- and badly.  They don't, which is to everyone's credit. The film is never embarrassing -- no matter how personal, sexual or charged events become -- because, when each moment appears truthful, there's never that 'icky' feeling that results from eaves-dropping on something that should be real but instead seems fake.

For the older generation like me, there will of course be a certain been-there-done-that sense. Most of us will have experienced infidelity a few, maybe many, times (giving it, getting it, probably both -- not to mention countless movies on this subject), so we've learned things that Annie and Darren as yet have not. Truth-telling is fine and all that -- provided you know why you want to tell that truth and that you're certain that your partner (if you really care about him or her) will be able to tolerate it.

The Freebie is hardly an action movie; even the sex is not all that terribly "hot."  But it -- and most else in the film --  is handled intelligently, sometimes comically, with a genuine exploration of the relationship, the twosome's responsibility to each other and what this means.  Aselton wrestles with all this, and viewers will profit from wrestling (and laughing, sometimes cringing) along with her.

The movie, via Phase 4 Films opens this Friday, September 17, in New York City at the Angelika Film Center, in Los Angeles on October 1 at the NuArt Theater and then perhaps onwards to a limited, nationwide release.