Stéphane Brizé's absorbing but unspectacular film stars Vincent Lindon as a working-class Joe who experiences the indignities of unemployment and, later, those of a soul-corroding job.
As 15 minutes turns into a half hour, and then an hour, and then more, viewers will get tired of nodding their heads. The movie makes a point, but it doesn't build on it.
Lindon draws us in beautifully to his character, even though there isn't much to explore. It all relies on the final scene, a weak payoff to justify the title
It's a miniature portrait of quotidian desperation that nevertheless speaks to the collective psychic moan of job-seekers and those barely holding on everywhere.
Stéphane Brizé's "The Measure of a Man" feels so real, you're almost startled when it's over - it seems as if this French drama about a middle-aged husband and father facing unemployment should just go on, as life tends to do.