In 1977, in the small town of Sainte-Guenole, Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Deneuve) lives the life of a traditional housewife, doting on her grumpy husband, Robert (Fabrice Luchini), who spends his days running her family's umbrella business into the ground. To her husband and her two grown children, Madame Pujol is a trophy housewife with no real power; in other words, un potiche.
But when the workers of the umbrella factory go on strike to protest draconian working conditions, all hell breaks loose. Robert suffers a heart attack and is ordered to take time off to recover, and Suzanne is left to run the company with the help of her former beau, the town mayor, Maurice Babin (Gérard Depardieu).
At first, she is the laughing stock of all the employees, but when she saves the faltering business and fosters the best working conditions in years, opinions quickly change. In fact, no one wants her husband to take back the reins once he's recovered. But Mr. Pujol will not go down without a fight; using blackmail and forming secret alliances, he's determined to win back his role as head of the company and head of his household. However, once this veritable Pandora's box of deception has been opened, Monsieur Pujol will find out that Madame Pujol has more than one trick up her sleeve.
Cute movie, empowering for women.
This was pure fun but not a movie you will remember forever