Michel Muller Movies
- 2005
Two women try to pass along what they've learned about life, love and work to a handful of kids with unexpected results in this French comedy. For years, Blanche (Josiane Balasko) and her husband ran a diner in a small village in France, with their daughter Louise (Sylvie Testud) coming aboard to help once she was grown. After Blanche's husband passes on, she and Louise decide to keep the place open, though a rival eatery owned by Lucie Chevrier (Catherine Hiegel) sees an opportunity to finally get the edge on their competition. Good-hearted Blanche and Louise hear that a group of foster children in need of parents have been left with nowhere to stay, and they agree to take in the kids. Blanche and her daughter go out of their way to the youngsters about the importance of a solid work ethic; however, this lesson is put to the test when local truck drivers go on strike, and their leader, Pierre (Eric Cantona) tries to convince everyone (including the children) not to work for a while. Writer and director Gerard Krawczyk adapted La Vie Est A Nous (aka It's Our Life) from the novel L'eau des Fleurs by Jean-Marie Gourio. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sylvie Testud, Josiane Balasko, (more)
- 2003
Directed by Gérard Krawczyk, Fanfan la Tulipe is a remake of the classic 1952 swashbuckling satire by French director Christian-Jaque. Set in the 18th century, Vincent Perez plays the title role of the seductive swordsman Fanfan, who flees his home in order to avoid a forced marriage. A gypsy girl named Adeline (Penelope Cruz) tricks him into joining the army of King Louis XV (Didier Bourdon) by telling him that if he fights, he will get to marry one of the king's daughters. In addition to producing, Luc Besson co-wrote the adapted screenplay. Fanfan la Tulipe premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent Perez, Penélope Cruz, (more)
A cop from the city of lights finds adventure and romance in the Land of the Rising sun in this thriller. Hubert (Jean Reno) is a detective with the French police force who's the kind of cop who doesn't let little details get in the way of catching crooks -- and isn't afraid to speak with his fists if talking doesn't do the job. When Hubert gets in a dust-up with an innocent bystander while trying to apprehend a group of bank robbers, he learns the passerby was the son of the Chief of Police -- and Hubert is put on suspension for two months. Just as Hubert wonders what to do for the next 60 days, he learns that an old flame has died; 19 years ago, he was sent to Tokyo on assignment, and fell in love with a woman named Miko. Even though Hubert hadn't seen Miko in years, he was the sole beneficiary named in her will, and Hubert goes to Tokyo to sort out her effects. Once in Japan, Hubert meets Miko's daughter Yumi (Ryoko Hirosue), who doesn't think much of Hubert and appears to be unaware that he is her biological father. As Hubert tries to bond with Yumi, he examines the facts behind Miko's death and begins to suspect her death was no accident, and with the help of his buddy Momo (Michel Muller), he tries to find out the truth about her death. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Reno, Ryoko Hirosue, (more)
In this French horror film, which many critics compared to both Scream and The Blair Witch Project, a group of young actors have been hired to stage a production of Little Red Riding Hood at a mansion far away from the city. When they arrive, the players learn that they're all alone at the estate except for the wealthy owner of the house, his young son, and a servant. They are also visited by police, who warn them that a violent criminal is on the loose and may be hiding somewhere nearby. As the evening wears on, the actors are murdered one by one, and the survivors fight for their lives as they try to find out who the killer is and what he wants from them. Promenons-Nous Dans Les Bois, the first film from director Lionel Delplanque, stars Clotilde Courau, Clement Sibony, Vincent Lecoeur, Alexia Stresi, and Maud Buquet. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Clotilde Courau, Clément Sibony, (more)
- 1999
Asterix and Obelix, the French comic book heroes created by René Goscinny and Albert Underzo (their adventures have sold 280 million copies to date in Europe), are brought to the big screen in their first live-action adventure. Set in 50 B.C., Asterix (Christian Clavier) and Obelix (Gérard Depardieu) are a pair of comedic heroes living in a small but well-protected village in Gaul, where a magic potion concocted by Druids turns the townsfolk into mighty soldiers. When Roman troops carve a path through Gaul to reach the English Channel, Caesar (Gottfried John) and his aide de camp Detritus (Roberto Benigni) discover the secret elixir and capture the Druid leader who knows its formula, and Asterix and Obelix are sent off to rescue them. Shot in Brittany, Bavaria, and Arpajon, Asterix et Obelix Contre Cesar brings these cartoon characters to life on a grand scale; it was reportedly the most expensive French-language film ever, at a cost of 274 million francs ($48 million). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christian Clavier, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
A crime comedy that pays sly tribute to spy films of the 1960s, Comme Un Poisson Hors De L'Eau (aka Like a Fish Out of Water concerns Desire (Michel Muller), the nervous and bookish son of a prominent restaurateur. Desire has been corresponding with a lovely Italian woman, Myrtille (Monica Bellucci), who has accepted his offer of marriage. But when she arrives, Desire is surprised to discover that she's brought along a couple of friends, BB (Tcheky Karyo) and Melvin (Dominique Pinon). It seems Desire is an expert on exotic fish, and Myrtille and her friends are actually con artists who draft him into an elaborate scheme to rip off a Turkish gangster with an interest in rare aquatic species. Comme Un Poisson Hors De L'Eau marks the directorial debut of Herve Hadmar, who previously distinguished himself as a graphic artist; Michel Muller, who plays Desire, also co-wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tchéky Karyo, Monica Bellucci, (more)
- 1998
Radu Mihaileanu directed this French-Belgian-Romanian-Dutch comedy-drama, set in Central Europe during the summer of 1941. Yiddish-speaking Jews purchase a train, forge identity papers, and leave town. Posing as both prisoners and Nazis, they hope to reach Palestine via the Soviet Union, but problems arise when they encounter real Germans. To make matters worse, resistance fighters plan to dynamite the train. Made in Romania with French and German dialogue, this film won an international critics prize at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lionel Abelanski, Rufus, (more)
- 1998
French-born, UCLA-trained screenwriter Jean-Yves Pitoun made his directorial debut with this French comedy in which self-taught cook Lorenzo, aka Loren (Jason Lee) is discharged from the U.S. Navy after hitting a superior who accused him of serving "sissy food" to the Admiral's guests. Back in Brooklyn, Loren works at his Italian-Irish family's pizza parlor and then heads for France to study with his idol, chef Louis Boyer (Eddy Mitchell). After the death of his wife, Boyer raised his daughter Gabrielle (Irene Jacob), now a successful restaurant architect engaged to physician Vincent (Thibault de Montalembert). Gabrielle and Loren compare recipes and finally choose romance from their menu, while Boyer begins to cave in from the stress of tax problems, restaurant critics, and police seeking illegal foreign workers. Jason Lee learned French in order to do the French dialogue version. In the English-language version, actors speak French but switch to English when Lee is onscreen. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddy Mitchell, Irène Jacob, (more)
