Movies with middle-aged female protagonists set in beautiful locations such as Corsica are rare enough; rarer still are ones that are as well-acted and effortlessly charming as Caroline Bottaro’s chess-themed comedy.
Veteran French actress Sandrine Bonnaire (“Vagabond”) is luminous as a maid who develops a sudden passion for the game after watching a couple (the woman is Jennifer Beals) playing at the hotel where she works.
She doggedly obtains coaching from a grumpy American expat (Kevin Kline, in an all-French performance) for whom she does cleaning on the side.
Bonnaire’s working-class husband mocks his wife’s new obsession, but ultimately it (and her blossoming platonic relationship with Kline) helps the whole family. “Queen To Play” is ultimately about people’s capacity for emotional and intellectual growth at any age.