Whatever Sarkozy's intentions, whatever majority sends him into office, whatever mandate he can claim, he will still have to deal with organized opposition that can put a million people in the streets. That's the real problem here. If he can break a general strike then there's hope for economic reform, but if an alliance of socialist unions and university brats shuts the country down his good intentions will fail.
I left France in 2003, but I never saw the sort of latent discontent that preceded Thatcher's revolution in Britain.
The frogs are too content with their socialist system and "anti-Anglo-Saxon third way" (regardless of how bad it is for the future) to support any real reforms.
The French are also cowards (I have experienced it first hand) and will cave to whichever union causes the most pain to the economy.
Sarkozy will have very limited room to manouever. And don't forget that under the constitution of the V Republic, the President has very little domestic power. He can cajole, but it's the PM who controls legislation.