Bye Bye Blondie is a 2012 French romantic dramedy film directed by Virginie Despentes. It stars Béatrice Dalle, Emmanuelle Béart, Soko and Clara Ponsot .
It tells the love story of two women, Gloria (Dalle) and Frances (Béart), who had a summer romance in their teenage years. Now in their late forties and not having seen each other since that time, Gloria has kept her punk rocker lifestyle going, living on the edge and making ends meet through odd jobs, while Frances went mainstream and became a successful television show host. Frances seeks Gloria out and brings her to her apartment in Paris so they can start their relationship anew.
Not to be confused with Bye Bye Birdie.
Bye Bye Blondie provides examples of the following tropes:
- Marriage of Convenience: Frances is married to a successful writer, Claude, because it's good for both their public images. They do love each other in a platonic sense and are fully aware and approving of each other's preferences (he is gay himself and having a relationship, and Frances is shown to be friends with his lover).
- Uptown Girl: Wasn't the case when they were teenagers, but in adulthood Gloria and Frances belong to quite different social strata, with Gloria being a street artist with no permanent residence living off odd jobs and Frances a wealthy television personality. They make an attempt to rekindle their romance despite their differences.
- Time-Shifted Actor: Soko and Clara Ponsot played young Gloria and young Frances respectively, while Béatrice Dalle and Emmanuelle Béart played their 40+ year old selves years later.
- Writer's Block: Claude, a writer, struggles with a creative block throughout the film. Late in the film he starts thinking this could mean he's washed up, but Gloria and Frances' relationship seems to inspire him to finish his book (based on the fact that it's him narrating at the end).
