"A Slightly Pregnant Man": All Setup, No Delivery

A Slightly Pregnant Man (L’Événement le plus important depuis que l’homme a marché sur la lune (1973)

A comic premise is reduced to a one-note joke by avoiding more interesting consequences

• Country: France

• Genre: Comedy

• Director: Jacques Demy

• Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Marcello Mastroianni

FILM STILL OF CATHERINE DENEUVE AND MARCELLO MASTROIANNI FROM A SLIGHTLY PREGNANT MAN. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATHÉ.

Clinical Overview

Marco, a driving instructor, and Irène, a hair-salon owner, share a small apartment, a young son, and a good relationship. Their lives are turned upside down when Marco discovers he’s pregnant.

Diagnosis

The comedy stems from Marco’s unlikely physical and psychological ordeal. But it turns out to be a false alarm.

Prescription

A remake could raise the stakes: Mark could be a pro-life politician; Irene, an influencer mom. The comedy comes from him acting like pregnancy is something Irene couldn’t possibly understand, the horror of secretly not wanting this child, and the fear of how it will come out of his body.