Widow Clicquot is a 2023 internationally co-produced drama film, directed by Thomas Napper, from a screenplay by Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger based on the book The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J. Mazzeo. It stars Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge, Sam Riley, Anson Boon, Leo Suter, Ben Miles, and Natasha O'Keeffe.
| Widow Clicquot | |
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| Directed by | Thomas Napper |
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| Based on | The Widow Clicquot by Tilar Mazzeo |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Caroline Champetier |
| Edited by | Richard Marizy |
| Music by | Bryce Dessner |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 89 minutes[2] |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.1 million[3][4] |
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023.
Plot
editWidow Clicquot focuses on Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, the woman responsible for the Veuve Clicquot champagne dynasty, begun in the late 1700s in France.
Cast
edit- Haley Bennett as Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot
- Tom Sturridge as François Clicquot
- Sam Riley as Louis Bohne
- Anson Boon as Edouard Werle
- Leo Suter as George
- Ben Miles as Philippe Clicquot
- Natasha O'Keeffe as Anne
- Cecily Cleeve as Clementine Clicquot
- Paul Rhys as Droite
- Ian Conningham as Paquet
- Christopher Villers as Nicolas Ponsardin
- Cara Seymour as Jeanne-Marie Ponsardin
- Phoebe Nicholls as Marie-Catherine Clicquot
- Nicholas Farrell as Jean-Remy Moet
- Chris Larkin as Muller
- Mark Tandy as Magistrate #1
- Antoine Blanquefort as Magistrate #2
- Joseph Rapp as The Priest
Production
editIn October 2022, it was announced that Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge, Sam Riley, Leo Suter, and Anson Boon joined the cast of the film, with Thomas Napper set to direct from a screenplay by Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger and Joe Wright set to produce.[5]
Principal photography took place in Chablis and Reims, France, in October 2022.[6]
Release
editThe film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023.[7] In November 2023, Vertical Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film.[8] It had a wide release on July 19, 2024.[9] Netfllix in the US began streaming the movie from November 16, 2024.[10]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]
Christian Zilko of IndieWire rated the film a grade B, commenting that "by swapping Bluetooth headsets for bodices, Napper and screenwriters Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger were able to drape their movie in a period aesthetic that should appeal to the arthouse crowd. But from its eureka moment when Barbe-Nicole develops her iconic rose champagne to its final title cards about the company's ongoing success, "Widow Clicquot" has all the same beats as the walk-and-talk business movie that you watched on your last flight."[13] Zilko highlighted the film's mixture of "non-linear narrative structure" and "three-cheers-for-capitalism narrative" along with the "draconian laws" around women in business.[13] He viewed the film as mostly "interested in celebrating the booze industry and the people who overcome needless restrictions to innovate in it."[13]
References
edit- ^ "Widow Clicquot (2024)". BBFC. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Widow Clicquot". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ "Widow Clicquot (2024)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
- ^ "Widow Clicquot (2024)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 31, 2022). "Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge & Sam Riley Set For 'Clicquot' About The Rise Of French Champagne House". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (February 8, 2023). "Haley Bennett First Image In Champagne Drama 'Clicquot' Revealed As WME Independent Sets EFM Sales Launch". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (August 3, 2023). "TIFF 2023 Midnight Madness and Discovery Lineup: New Films from Harmony Korine, Patricia Arquette, and Larry Charles". IndieWire. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (November 29, 2023). "TIFF 2023 Drama 'Widow Clicquot' Starring Haley Bennett Acquired By Vertical". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ "T&C Exclusive: Watch the Trailer for 'Widow Clicquot'". Town & Country. June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Moore, Kasey (October 19, 2024). "'Widow Clicquot' Sets Netflix Streaming Release Date for the US". What's on Netflix. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "Widow Clicquot". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Widow Clicquot". Metacritic. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c Zilko, Christian (September 13, 2023). "'Widow Clicquot' Review: Bodices Replace Bluetooth Headsets in This Rags-to-Riches Champagne Saga". IndieWire. Retrieved June 7, 2024.