Xavier Gélin Movies
- 1998
Martin Lamotte made his directorial debut with this French comedy. Building contractor Patrick (Sam Karmann) is unaware that Helene (Catherine Frot), his wife for 15 years, intends to celebrate their wedding anniversary with a surprise party. She's invited friends and relatives to spend the weekend at their blue house. Elsewhere down the road, at an identical blue house, Patrick and his other love, Elizabeth (co-scripter Carol Brenner), the mother of his two-year-old daughter, are planning an engagement party for the son of their neighbor. Neither woman knows about the other, and this sticky situation requires Patrick to rush back and forth from one blue house to another throughout the evening. The story is told in flashback by Patrick -- from his hospital bed. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Frot, Sam Karmann, (more)
- 1997
In this banal and outdated view of male-female relationships, director Xavier Gélin follows up his undistinguished Coup de Jeune with another trite story about a volleyball professional who has a hard time choosing between three different men in her life. The actors (Amélie Pick, Christophe Malavoy, Zabou, and Pascal Légitimus) do the best they can to stem the tide of caricature. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascal Légitimus, Christophe Malavoy, (more)
This Spanish/French film presents a loving ode to a woman's breasts and the three men who love them. The fairy tale is told from the viewpoint of 9-year old Tete, who jealous of his new brother's access to his mother's breasts, implores the moon to give him a nurturing breast of his own. French cabaret performers Estrellita, the Queen of Stuttgart, and her jealous husband Maurice, come to town with their surprisingly vulgar act. When Tete sees Estrellita, he knows his wish has been granted. Trailer-park electrician Miquel is also very attracted to Estrellita's charming chest and begins serenade her. Tete gets to sample her charms after he brings her a frog. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mathilda May, Miguel Poveda, (more)
In this soft-porn drama, the oversexed hunk Benito Javier Bardem) spends a good portion of his military service in north Africa dreaming of sex, money and power - but mostly sex. He can barely keep himself in control, and is constantly grabbing his crotch. Somehow, when he is released from the service, he marries the daughter (Maria de Medeiros) of a real moneybags, and he uses some of those resources to build a gigantic skyscraper in the form of a phallus. After a car crash leaves him partially paralyzed and very despondent, his ill-used wife kicks him out and he moves to Miami, where he picks up a woman who (in a reversal of roles) loves 'em and leaves 'em. For some reason, this circumstance cuts our previously almost irrepressibly priapic hero to the heart, and he sobbingly realizes the extent of his losses. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Javier Bardem, Maribel Verdú, (more)
- 1989
When Jenny Quester (Catherine Deneuve) is harassed over the phone by a mysterious caller, she enlists the help of her policeman brother Frank (Andre Dussolier) in this suspenseful crime drama. She fears the calls may be from a murderer who recently was discharged from an insane asylum. Later Jenny finds evidence that someone has been in her apartment. Last-minute plot twists provide anxiety and thrills in this directorial debut for Elisabeth Rappeneau. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, André Dussollier, (more)
- 1989
- R
Directed by Philip Sebton, Mister Frost chronicles the life of serial killer Mr. Frost (Jeff Goldblum), who, after stashing 125 tortured corpses in and around his property, is caught by a British detective (Alan Bates) and brought to a mental institution. Strange things begin to happen immediately after his arrival--the egotistical Dr. Reynhardt (Roland Giraud) suddenly loses confidence, an angelic young boy goes insane, and people see images of Satanic eyes in their rear-view mirrors. Meanwhile, the only person Frost (Goldblum) will speak to is psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Day (Kathy Baker), who questions why the police could not find any official records of his existence. He tells her that he is, in fact, none other than Satan himself. According to an angry Frost, the world has tossed aside the notion of pure evil, opting instead to use psychological explanations to aid them in understanding why terrible things happen to good people. Frost's mission on earth is to remind man that the devil does exist, and is still bargaining for immortal souls. He believes if he can convince a psychiatrist (Baker), to murder him because she believes he is the devil, it will not only help his cause, but act as a resounding personal victory. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Alan Bates, (more)
- 1987
Sam (Roland Giraud) enjoys his romantic rendezvous with his ex-wife Vanessa (Fanny Cortencon) and others in this routine sex farce. He lives with up-and-coming actress Elodie (Fiona Gelin), but quickly falls for pretty female physician Joanna (Marianne Basler). Sam soon is globe-trotting after the doctor who storms his dreams. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Fanny Cottençon, (more)
- 1985
In a standard psycho-killer thriller, Cecile (Nathalie Baye) goes from her home in Canada to New York after her boyfriend is thrown in the slammer there for drug-running -- she still wants to be near him. Unable to stay past her visa's limits, Cecile literally contracts a legal marriage to an American via an agency and starts working in a deli to support herself. It is when her totally wacko "husband" shows up that her life goes from terrible to terrorific. His insanity has already slashed up one wife, and he is ready to continue on with Cecile unless the slow-witted female can figure out what to do. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nathalie Baye, John Shea, (more)
Gene Wilder's remake of this 1976 French comedy is a Hollywood version of what happens when Theodore (Wilder), an ordinary ad agency executive, is captivated by a gorgeous woman (Kelly Le Brock). The woman just happens to be standing on a grate when her skirt blows up over her waist (a scene first made famous by Marilyn Monroe in The Seven-Year Itch), and one glimpse is enough to change Theodore's whole life. Although he is married, he is willing to risk his happy relationship with his wife for a romp in the hay with the beautiful stranger. Unfortunately, even when he tracks down the object of his lust he is woefully inept at sneaking out on his wife to consummate his desire. Three of his male office mates help him as much as they can, but Ms. Milner (Gilda Radner) is really incensed when she finds out that the object of Theodore's attention is not herself. Stevie Wonder's score included his hit song "I Just Called to Say I Love You", which received an Oscar nomination. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gene Wilder, Charles Grodin, (more)
- 1984
When a man decides to play the role of twins in order to romance another set of twins, life becomes much more complicated than he wants or needs in this interesting farce by Yves Robert, adapted from the much blacker comedy by Donald Westlake, Two Much. Matthias Duval (Pierre Richard) is a humble greeting-card vendor when he meets twin American heiresses and decides to seduce each of them since he cannot tell them apart anyway and is attracted to both sisters. His originally innocent ploy eventually makes a bigamist out of him and nearly does him in since he has to bed-hop between the two women, without remembering who is whom. The sisters' dirty-dealing lawyer finds Matthias out one day, and in the subsequent fight Matthias accidentally kills the man. Will this affect Matthias's relationship with both sisters? Will he be caught and go to jail? -- the answers are unexpected. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pierre Richard, Carey More, (more)
- 1982
In making this film about a director who is presently working on an autobiographical movie, real-life director Elie Chouraqui has played on a Jewish cultural theme (the "reel" director is Jewish) and the intermixing of 1960s movie-making techniques. In the film, director David is in his 30s and his autobiography brings in details about his growth to adulthood -- his early life along the seacoast in Normandy, his parents, his education, and in the present, his sister and her husband, and a few of his own lovers. Visions of the past enhance the events of the moment, such as in the scene of David's mother's death. In the end, viewers may be able to answer the question posed by the title -- "What makes David run?" ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francis Huster, Charles Aznavour, (more)
In 1974, flanked by such filmic monuments to paranoia and corruption as Chinatown and The Parallax View, Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland tried to re-create the screwball nonchalance of their earlier M*A*S*H performances in this lightweight spy spoof, directed by Irvin Kershner. Gould and Sutherland play two CIA agents -- Griff and Bruland -- who are marked for death by their own agency after botching the defection of a Russian ballet dancer (Michael Petrovich). As they repeatedly mess up their assignments and wriggle out of tight corners, they not only find themselves pursued by the CIA, but also by the KGB, the Chinese Communists, and a terrorist group that wants to destroy the CIA. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, (more)
- 1974
In this film, a group of French kids face the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood as they struggle through their teenage years. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lino Ventura, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1973
Marcello Mastrioanni stars as an aging actor whose career has dwindled to TV commercials. Seeking an anchor in his life, Mastrioanni attempts a reconciliation with his ex-wife. But in this, as in his professional life, Mastrioanni is doomed to disillusionment and failure. Salut L'Artiste should be required viewing for every college theatre class in the country, but we know that it won't be; who among us wants to admit that dreams don't always come true? Director Yves Robert, best known for his Marcel Pagnol adaptations, both produced and co-scripted Salut L'Artiste. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Françoise Fabian, (more)
In the French L'Aventure C'est L'Aventure, a gang of thieves, suffering a drop in business, enter into a new phase of larceny. Passing themselves off as terrorists, the gang begins committing political crimes, extorting huge sums to prevent further "dissidence". As a result, they're more successful than ever! Along the way, planes get hijacked, ambassadors are kidnapped and held for ransom, and the Pope is similarly abducted. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lino Ventura, Jacques Brel, (more)
- 1969
This situation comedy finds a married couple from Paris longing for the bucolic existence of a simple country life. The father (Jean Richard) is talked into the move by his wife (Danielle Darrieux), who believes the move will enhance their social status. After they decide to buy and old mill, they spend a small fortune trying to make improvements to the aging structure. They even sell their Paris apartment to finance the renovation, only to feel isolated in the quiet of the country. The building of the dream house turns into a nightmare as both soon long to return to life in the city. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Richard, Danielle Darrieux, (more)
A gorgeous woman takes it upon herself to make a man fall for her, whether he likes it or not, in this romantic comedy. Gaspard (Jean-Pierre Cassel) is a successful musician who owns a large estate in the country; he lives a quiet life with few distraction, and prefers to keep it that way. However, Gaspard's peace is disturbed one day when he gets into a minor traffic accident with Felicia (Brigitte Bardot), a beautiful but eccentric divorcee driving a Rolls-Royce. Felicia is immediately taken with Gaspard, but he doesn't much care for her; sensing a challenge, Felicia makes it her goal to turn Gaspard's head and make him fall in love with her. However, the harder Felicia tries, Gaspard puts up an even greater fight, and their potential romance turns into a high-stakes battle of wits. While Brigitte Bardot was still lovely and glamorous at 35 when she made L'Ours et la Poupee, she was nearing the end of her career as Europe's greatest female star; within five years, she would retire from acting. Collectors take note: though this film was originally shot and released in Eastmancolor, at least one U.S. video release issued the picture in a dubbed, black-and-white version. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Pierre Cassel, (more)
- 1969
An eccentric family in need of money turns their crumbling chateau into a hotel in order to renovate the old place. Repairs are made to the aging structure, but they only have one guest and too many empty rooms. The young granddaughter, with the help of her mechanic boyfriend, manages to make sure all the cars that stop at his garage are in need of overnight repairs. The hotel business soon improves as tourists are stranded and forced to seek lodging at the chateau. Cesar (Yves Montand) leads a trio of bank robbers to the hotel. Posing as aristocratic nobles, the crooks hide out in the splendor of the old house, charming the ladies and winning at poker games to pass the time. The mother of the family offers herself as a lure to draw more guests, who often take advantage of her adulterous yearnings. The hotel business does very well as the family saves their ancestral home after a dubious start in this romantic comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yves Montand, Maria Schell, (more)
