Le Mirage
by Mary Nyiri

Director:  Ricardo Trogi, Canada

Just in his thirties, Patrick (Louis Morissette) has everything – a  smart and lovely Wife, surly son, cute daughter, spectacular home, great job as  manager of his own sports store franchise, fun friends. Or so it would appear.  Prices of all the Things they have bought for the House pop up on the screen  like instant messages, emphasizing their extravagant lifestyle. Patrick spends  a lot of time watching porn on his laptop and masturbating. Wife is unemployed,  suffering from burnout and although she agrees to the obligatory marital sex,  it just doesn’t do it for him. He prefers his lap (top) dance. This early part  of the film is actually quite humorous. Then after dinner one night with Wife’s  best friend and her partner, their friends suggest a swinger’s bar for a drink.  Patrick is thrilled. Wife, not so. Their friends reveal that if they wanted to  swing, Patrick and Wife would be perfect. So begins Patrick’s fantasy f**king  Wife’s best friend with the spectacular boob job.

At this point, the  thrust of the film focuses on poor Patrick and how unhappy he is with his  flat-chested Wife and the House of Things. To cheer up, he takes his pretty  young sales clerk to a sporting goods conference to screw her, which he does.  However, he gets screwed as well when he is stripped of his franchise for lack  of profitability. Now he has been unfaithful to Wife and lost his job. Still he  agrees to look at a vacation chalet being shown by Wife’s best friend with the  spectacular boob job. There Pat-prick tries it hard-on with Wife’s best friend but is vigorously rebuffed. Best  friend tells all to everyone. Patrick is kicked out of the House. What started  out as a clever and funny film about family values deteriorates into a truly  banal bad f**king flick. Leave the game at half time.