Three years after his performance in
Guy
, the film which won him the César for best actor in 2019, the actor from Strasbourg hits hard once again with
Quentin Raynaud's
5th set
, the director's second feature film after
Paris-Willouby
.
The film is released in theaters this Wednesday, a timing that comes at the right time as Roland-Garros ended on Sunday.
In the
5th set
, the actor of
Catherine and Liliane
plays Thomas Edisson, an almost 38-year-old tennis player whose career has never really taken off, despite the hopes that rested on him at the start of his career. But a defeat in the semifinals and severe injuries will discourage the one who will become a tennis teacher. He decides to give himself another chance, and prepares for the very last challenge of his career: to participate in the prestigious Roland-Garros tournament. He will invest body and soul in this project, despite the disapproval of his wife Eve and his mother Judith. A film largely centered on the character of Edisson, but which also gives pride of place to Eve, played by Ana Girardot (
What binds us, An ideal man
) and the severe Judith, played by Franco-British Kristin Scott Thomas.
Lack of depth and rhythm
A subject that cannot be faulted for its originality, tennis being very rarely brought to the fore in the cinema.
Shot in part at Roland-Garros, a first, the film evolves in the world of tennis, but without addressing only fans of the first hour, reassures
La Croix
:
"Whether we are familiar or not From the world of this sport,
5th Set
captivates by attaching itself to one of these professional players invisible to the general public who run from competition to competition
”.
For our journalist from
Le Figaro
, "
the film struggles to transcend its documentary aspect
" and "
confirms that tennis is almost infilmable in the cinema
". In the pages of Télérama, we admit that the film “
suffers from a few flaws, including the character of the mother
”, while
Le Monde
regrets that it “
However, Thomas Edison lacks a story, his own, which the film is content to sketch but never goes into further.
Difficult in these conditions to identify with the character, to take sides, to be moved.
Even less, when those around him are reduced to little.
[...] There follows one another, without real rhythm, intimate scenes and matches in the course of which the dramaturgy weakens, the stake disappears
”.
Alex Lutz "
believable
" in his role
Despite the reluctance, all agree to recognize the "
credibility
" of this film, of which the director "
knows what he is talking about, having himself practiced tennis at a professional level
", notes
Le Monde
. In
Les Échos,
we appreciate the way in which
5th Set
"
is not yet another sporting redemption story stifling under the clichés
" while
Première
recognizes the "
fluidity which symbolizes that of a picky film but never excluding for the neophyte.
". But it is of course the performance of Alex Lutz that seduces, he who has undergone four months of intensive training based on five hours of lessons per day, in order to bring credibility to his game. tennis player Frédéric Petitjean and some special effects make it possible to further perfect the realism desired by Raynaud. And it works: "
literally bluffing performance
" (
Le Parisien
), "
an impeccable game
" (
Le Monde
), "
an irreproachable actor
" (
Les Echos
), "
breathtaking performance
" (
Télérama
) ... Almost no one can find To be said about the Caesarized actor.
A film of nearly two hours that "
the actor carries on his shoulders,
" according to
Le Monde
, "
that he literally holds at arm's
length," adds
Télérama
. Many also appreciate Alex Lutz's ability to shine in a role unlike any other, he who also played a Nazi on the verge of ridicule in
OSS 117, Rio no longer responds
, as a variety singer in
Guy
, or again as a colorful editorial secretary in the shortcom
Catherine and Liliane:
"
Alex Lutz is once again where we do not expect him and proves that he is capable of playing everything
", enthuses
the JDD
, while than
20 minutes
does not hesitate to qualify him as a "
chameleon actor
". A film with some flaws, therefore, but where we easily recognize the work done by the actor.