Riviera Revenge (M) – 94 minutes

Francois Marsault (Andre Dussollier) is a former military man. Now aged 75, he lives life on his terms.

Married to Annie (Sabine Azema) since she was 19, they have three grown up children.

The eldest, Amaury (Gael Giraudeau), has followed his father into the armed forces.

At a family gathering to mark his mother’s birthday, Amaury and his wife reveal they are expecting their fifth child.

Their other four children are girls, so Francois makes it clear that it would be nice to break the pattern.

Since high school, Capucine (Josephine de Meaux), the middle child, has been keeping a secret from her strait-laced father, namely the fact that she is a lesbian.

And then there is Adrien (Sebastien Chassagne), who – unlike his dad – is artistic.

In fact, he is a professional marionettist, but his father has never been to one of his shows.

When clearing boxes in the attic, Francois discovers a pile of old love letters written to Annie 10 years into their marriage.

It is immediately clear to Francois that his wife was having an affair, one that he knew nothing about, and he goes apoplectic.

He feels totally betrayed and says so.

To make matters worse, Annie had it off with one of their friends, Boris Pellaray (Thierry Lhermitte).

Despite apologies from Annie, who says it was a long time ago, Francois won’t let the matter rest.

He takes extreme measures, measures that will threaten the couple’s future.

Foremost amongst them is to confront Boris, whom he tracks down with the aid of a former military colleague.

Annie accompanies him, as revelations keep on coming.

Riviera Revenge is a feel-good rom com, which was inspired by a true story.

Written and directed by Ivan Calberac, the concept for the film started with a newspaper article that the filmmaker read.

A few years ago, in Italy, a 92-year-old Sicilian discovered love letters addressed to his wife, dating back more than 70 years. At the time, he was already married to her.

Unable to forgive her for the adultery, he filed for divorce.

As referenced earlier, Calberac made his protagonist 17 years younger.

He has ensured that the film maintains a light touch throughout, using jealousy and intransigence as powerful tools.

So, too, contrasting characters. I speak of the husband and his wife, the husband and the two youngest of his children, and the wife and her laid back former lover.

Calberac keeps turning the screws, which keeps things interesting.

Andre Dussollier is full of bombast and indignity as Francois.

For her part, Sabine Azema as Annie, gives up a softly, softly approach to push back, as Francois keeps testing her.

Thierry Lhermitte is relaxed as Boris. The actors who play the children each showcase their characters’ sensitivities.

The production design on the film, which was shot in the south of France, is one of its features. There are some stunning settings, inside and out.

Riviera Revenge is exuberant, mad capped and enjoyable – an easy watch.

Rated M, it scores a 7½ out of 10.