Remi Waterhouse Movies
- 2002
Directed by Rémi Waterhouse, Mille Millièmes is centered around an eccentric ensemble of apartment residents. Kindness is noticeably absent among their quarters, as demonstrated by a dating pair of neighbors (Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Valérie Stroh) whose request to have their apartments connected was flatly denied. To make matters worse, beggars gathering at a charity event are cruelly tormented by various tenants during the Christmas season. Last but not least is the Portuguese concierge (Luis Rego) whose services are in danger of being replaced by a more cost-effective alternative, and a widow whose recent loss earns her no sympathy from the rent-demanding landlords. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Chesnais, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, (more)
- 2001
The wildly popular British television show Absolutely Fabulous gets a Francophonic makeover with this film version directed by Gabriel Aghion. In this go around, Josiane Balasko and Nathalie Baye play the incorrigible Eddie and Patsy, who leave no impulse unenacted and no lust unsated -- be it for sex or the latest in designer clothing. Waking up from a night of drunken debauchery, the two dip right into a feast of champagne and caviar, much to the irritation of Eddie's elegant mother and her resentful daughter. As Eddie stretches an appalling pair of leopard-print leotards (complete with matching shoes, purse, and hat) over her massive rear end, she and Patsy learn of a handsome young Rollerblading delivery boy who quickly becomes the object of their lust. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josiane Balasko, Nathalie Baye, (more)
- 1999
- NR
The first film directed by the screenwriter who won a César for Ridicule, this film with a strange title carries the same humor as that earlier hit. Sauveur (Savior) needs someone to save him, and so he begins to look for his father, a fast- talking ladies' man. The son becomes attached to his misanthropic father, and soon a crippled woman photographer and a gigolo with a killer smile also enter the scene, and the situation becomes more and more impossible. This character-driven drama draws strength from the performances of Guillaume Canet as Sauveur and Jean Yanne, familiar from Claude Chabrol films, as the father. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Yanne, Guillaume Canet, (more)
This is a French costume drama from director Patrice Leconte that recalls both Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Restoration (1995). Gregoire Ponceludon de Malavoy (Charles Berling) is a baron of the 18th century French countryside, wealthy in property and high in social position but poor in cash. Local peasants -- dependent upon his largesse for their income -- are in poor health, the result of a festering marsh that, if drained, could solve the villagers' illnesses and create valuable farmland. Ponceludon travels to Versailles to plead his case before King Louis XVI. There, he is informed that he has no chance of success unless he can impress the court with his verbal prowess, for the king and his minions value banter, preferably of the ironic, cruel, and insulting variety, above all else. Under the tutelage of the Marquis de Bellegarde (Jean Rochefort), Ponceludon discovers that his sober, blunt honesty can be mistaken for a skewering wit. Though the baron falls for his mentor's science-minded daughter Mathilde (Judith Godreche), he's forced to woo the politically powerful Madame de Blayac (Fanny Ardant). Ridicule (1996) opened the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Berling, Fanny Ardant, (more)
- 1989
In this straightforward drama, Marie (Emmanuelle Beart) is a prisoner at the time she sees a performance by a theatrical troupe. After the show, she goes up to speak to one of the players, and this leads (without her knowledge) to her being chosen to participate in a special program. It seems that the troupe is a special halfway house for "reformable" prisoners, and Marie is to be paroled to them. Streetwise and tough, the former prostitute and addict Marie at first resists this high-minded program, but eventually discovers that it works for her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Béart, Robert Hossein, (more)
- 1984
The social and personal conflicts that arise when a bisexual, married policeman takes a male lover are carefully handled by director Yannick Bellon in this crime drama. Michel Vera (Victor Lanoux) is investigating a murder at a local nightclub when he is attracted to the club's saxophone player Bernard Mirande (Xavier Deluc), and the two begin an intimate relationship. As their love affair continues, Michel's family finds out, and their reactions to the news -- although stereotypical -- are also classic responses. When Bernard accidentally kills a man who has been blackmailing him, the gay couple's troubles are intensified, especially since Michel tries to illegally protect Bernard. Spiralling deeper and deeper into a maelstrom that has no visible exit, the relationship continues on its ill-fated course. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Lanoux, Anny Duperey, (more)
