Behind its lighthearted humor and its (more than necessary) share of slapstick scenes, "Vas-y maman" is actually a relatively serious critique on patriarchal societies at a time where the woman's liberation movement was at its peak. The film (directed by a woman) shows how numerous women are alienated when they stay home, take care of the kids and the house... to eventually awake, one morning, totally depressed about their life choices. The film tells the story of such a woman; a mother who can't stand it anymore and goes back to work, start to serve tv dinners to her family and generally has a ball retrieving her youth by being her own boss once again... The comedy comes from the conflicts emerging between the members of this family as Annie Girardot's character defies them to put her back where she was before. Though it suffers from obvious shortcomings in the screenplay department, "Vas-y maman" is a mildly funny but interesting film about a very serious subject matter and, as a metaphor for the legitimacy of feminism, is certainly worth seeing.
