Shows a beguiling aptitude for self-mockery in the pursuit of polemic.

When she (Breillat) succeeds, as she does in "Fat Girl" and in the final minutes of Sex Is Comedy, the impact can be overwhelming for filmmaker and audience alike.

So perversely enjoyable it gives the lie to her (Breillat's) image as a serious, politically incorrect purveyor of pornographic instincts.

Those who are already in her (Breillat) camp will find much to feed on in this at once intellectualized and accessible, documentary-style peek inside the head of a passionately driven woman and artist.

Breillat's first foray into comedy is playful, whip-smart and far breezier in both tone and look than the stylized gender polemics she's known for.

It's a sweet and light-hearted endeavor that shows Breillat isn't a one-trick pony.

A rigorous and bracingly charming movie about moviemaking.

Mostly, constant little reminders show that Breillat knows the business of movies in her bones. You can learn from it and enjoy it -- two things I never thought possible to say about a Breillat film until now.

Breillat also offers sharp insights into the love-hate relationship between directors and actors.

By Breillat's usually dire standards, this is practically a laff riot, and if you want to see her funniest, most accessible movie, this is the one to watch.

It opens fissures through which we can glimpse oddities and strains in film directing and acting.

Parillaud's performance is sharp on its surface and soft at its core. And if Jeanne truly is Breillat's alter ego, she is a pitiless self-portrait.

It feels too self-satisfied, but the prickly personalities and relationships have the ring of experience.

This is amusing, and even poignant in the final moments.