Introverted, antisocial and depressed, Paul-André only has one thing in life: lots of money. Haunted by his neuroses, he lives bored inside his mansion. Until he sees Violette on TV: arrested for trying to steal a chicken and slapping an officer, this unemployed single mother with two children gets his attention. Persuading himself that he needs a family, Paul-André decides to carry out an empirical test under real conditions – he offers to rent and live with Violette’s family in exchange for a huge sum of money, which would take care of both her debts and his feelings of emptiness...

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At first glance, this seems like the umpteenth comedy financed by the names of two bankable stars and an absurd premise that is easily sold to an audience who is sure in advance it will be great. Although the movie does have its faults, it turns out to be more moving and funny than expected. This is thanks mainly to director Jean-Pierre Améris’ gentle touch and yet another off-the-wall performance by Benoît Poelvoorde (together again in the wake of Romantics Anonymous), who make an implausible story easy to like. The exquisite Poelvoorde finds a good sparring partner in Virginie Efira, who offers depth of character to a role that could have been reduced to yet another cheap Pretty Woman. Sometimes the screenplay is surprising in the harsh reality of its plot and characters, but in the end Une famille à louer is predictable and breaks no new ground.