Tandem

Tandem (1987) is a French comedy from director Patrice Leconte, and you can watch it online on iFILM. For twenty-five years Michel Mortez has driven across provincial France hosting the radio quiz show he invented. Ordinary listeners adore him. He's been playing the part of a charming ladies' man so long he half believes it himself.

Beside him sits Rivetot — his technician, driver, and minder, the one person who sees the tired, lonely man behind the showman's grin. Then the blow lands: the producers have axed the program. Telling Mortez would collapse the only world he has, so Rivetot keeps quiet, keeps driving town to town, and lets the show roll on as if nothing has changed. Jean Rochefort plays Mortez and Gérard Jugnot is Rivetot, and the whole film rides on their double act.

Leconte isn't really filming show business; he's filming two men holding onto each other because there's nobody else left to hold. It runs a lean 86 minutes, skips the big plot twists, and wins you over with tone and a handful of perfect exchanges. Made for anyone who loves quiet French cinema about friendship and dignity. Stream Tandem (1987) online on iFILM.