Coverage for “Grasse Stains”

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WHAT WORKS?
GRASSE STAINS is a delightful comedy where the laughs emanate from the awkward situations rather than from the standard jokes with a set-up and punchline. There are a significant number of things that work in this story.

The characters are well-defined particularly those residing in France. The lead character Jules is
charming as are her grandparents Alianor and Pierre. The reader quickly established an emotional
link to this trio and was rooting for them throughout the story. The Americans are not so charming with the exception of Anne who aligns herself with Jules after the death of her overbearing husband “the Bob”. The rest of the players are on the stereotypical side; the capitalistic Americans and the snooty French designers from the House of Jacobert. The stereotypes were not problematic in this
instance in that they grounded the reader (and the audience) with no significant character twists
letting the situational comedy play out organically.

An additional non-credited character in this script is the region itself. The reader could only imagine the colorful visuals of Jules flower farm along with the old school perfume factory of Pierre and Alianor. The descriptions provided by the writer for the setting (as well as for the introductions of the characters) made the reader want to pack a bag and head for the airport to visit the region to take in the sights and smells that are a major part of the story.

The writer also makes frequent use of the characters speaking French with subtitles in English; and that added credibility to the entire scenario which is also a major plus.

The tie-in with the glove, foxglove and the hand job in the finale with “Le petit mort” was simply a stroke (no pun intended) of genius by the writer. It was a perfect ending to this story.

The writer’s transitions are also a stand-out; with each situation under control suddenly facing
another unforeseen obstacle that has to be quickly resolved in order for their scheme to work out.

This is a sophisticated comedy that targets a very valuable upscale well-educated demographic who after watching the movie wonders out loud why they don’t make more movies like this anymore.
Kudos!