The title ‘Mr Blake, at your service’ playfully recalls a famous joke by the late Joan Rivers. She used to say her gynaecologist would always greet her with, ‘Dr Blake, at your cervix!’ Thankfully, this film is quite different from Rivers’ sharp wit. It’s based on a novel by Gilles Lagardinier, who also directed it, adapting the story for the screen.
The film follows grieving widower Andrew Blake ( John Malkovich) who travels to the French chateau where he first met his wife, hoping to find some solace. However, the chateau and its owner, Natalie Beauvillier ( Fanny Ardant), have fallen on hard times financially. A case of mistaken identity arises when Blake is confused by the housekeeper (the late Emilie Dequenne) for an applicant responding to a butler advertisement. This sets off a series of comedic errors, and Blake unexpectedly goes along with it, seeing it as a distraction from his grief and lack of purpose after retirement. From there, much of the humor stems from further misunderstandings and the instructions given to him by other characters. However, much of this feels forced – one scene features Malkovich in drag that feels like a random, over-the-top costume choice – and the film ultimately centers around the predictable and developing romance between Blake and Beauvillier.
While generally inoffensive, the film suffers from a rather slow pace, which is worsened by John Malkovich’s distinctive way of speaking – and the fact that all the dialogue is in French, making ‘Mr Blake at your service’ a bit of a struggle to watch. It’s disappointing, because the film could have been much better with a faster tempo and a setting more akin to a Downton Abbey-style England (no criticism of the location itself, which is beautifully filmed in gorgeous surroundings). ‘Mr Blake, at your service’ is certainly unusual, but it does have the strange appeal of Malkovich’s performance.
Here’s the trailer……
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2025-10-03 02:24