Annick Alane Movies

Directed by Didier Bourdon, a member of the French comedy troupe Les Inconnus, this comedy stars Bourdon and other members of the troupe. Bourdon plays one of three half-brothers who have been separated since childhood and are reunited when they come to their mother's funeral. They discover that she has left them a considerable family fortune. Each of them begins spending his share of the money on lavish things. Two days later, they are told that they are not getting the money after all because it is being donated to charitable causes. One of them also discovers that he has a young son he never knew about. With the child, the three brothers are chased by the police because they have run up debts they cannot pay. To elude the authorities, they practice various con games, steal vehicles, and wreak havoc on the French countryside. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, Victor thought he really had it bad when he lost his wife and his job on the same day. However, when he tries to get some sympathy from his friends, he discovers just how bad things can get, because although everything seems to be just fine with their lives, they are incredibly angry. It seems that, just beneath the surface, everyone's cozy situation is about to fall apart, and they know it. Children are acting up, wives or husbands are just about to leave, and there is nothing much to smile about. Desperate for some comfort, he goes to a bar and has a few drinks. There, he meets the one person he's encountered so far who doesn't seem to be mad at the world: a seemingly simpleminded man with no home, no job, and no prospects of getting either. He allows his new human mascot to accompany him while he goes to visit his parents and is distressed to find that his mother is leaving his father for a much-younger man. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

François (Thierry Lhermitte) has convinced his wife and nearly everyone else that he is a pleasant, downtrodden civil servant who has been immured in a dead-end job. In reality, he is a very competent secret operative for the government. Meanwhile, Helene (Miou-Miou), the mother of his two children, has grown bored with her dull husband and is considering whether or not she should have an affair with an attractively sleazy used-car salesman who has been feeding her his standard seduction line: that he's a secret agent (which, in his case, is a lie). When François discovers this, he concocts a plan to teach his wife a lesson, which grows unexpectedly complicated when the two of them stumble across an international arms-smuggling cartel. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A trio of inept bachelors receives an unexpected lesson in the challenges of fatherhood when a young infant turns up on their doorstep in this popular, appealing French comedy. The child was unknowingly fathered by one of the roommates, but the mother, who had relationships with each man, leaves no hint as to which one is the father. Even worse, she's flown off to America, meaning the clueless Pierre, Jacques, and Michel must work together to take care of the adorable infant. As one might expect, most of the film's comedy concerns the men's reluctant adaptation to fatherhood, as they become increasingly attached to the child and compete to become the best father. The film's good-natured if familiar humor was welcomed with strong box office, numerous award nominations, and an American remake, Three Men and a Baby. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

In this farcical look at a female detective/mystery story writer, Cathy Palmer (JoBeth Williams) is an ordinary housewife living in Ohio with a condescending husband who is far from ideal. When Cathy wins a writing contest and has the chance to go to Paris and meet the author of the romance novels she loves, her husband tries to prevent the trip. In the end, Cathy's interests prevail, though her husband still refuses to go with her. After arriving in Paris, Cathy is knocked down by a car and wakes up in the hospital with all memory of her past life erased. In its place, she believes she is Rebecca Ryan, the heroine in the romance novels she has read. Carrying her unconscious role to the hilt, she dresses in elegant clothes and meets the comically rattled Alan McMann (Tom Conti) who becomes her partner, of sorts. Little does she know that Alan is not Rebecca's secretary, but the actual ghost writer of the Ryan novels. Cathy begins to suspect that villains are lurking everywhere, and her intuition in that regard is unerring -- she has doubts about the klutzy leader of the French opposition party (Giancarlo Giannini), and it turns out her doubts are well-founded. As the plot thickens, it becomes apparent that sooner or later Cathy-cum-Rebecca will have to realize the truth about her identity, but in the meantime, much skullduggery awaits. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

L'Homme Blesse is known in English-speaking countries as The Wounded Man. Jean-Hughes Anglade is a lonely, isolated young man who lets no one get close to him. He meets a street hustler and comes out of his shell, going 180 degrees into gay Obsession. Though he has yet to physically approach the object of his affection, Anglade builds up so much unrequited lust that it explodes with horrible results. L'Homme Blesse isn't rated, but viewership should definitely be confined to those older than 21--and even some of them may not be ready for it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, a private detective disregards the many warnings he has been given and continues searching for a missing blind girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This French psychological detective drama owes much of its tone to Existentialism, even though that philosophy had its heyday at least a decade earlier. In the story, set in the 1950s, Nestor (Michel Galabru) is a small-time private detective who is doing a small-time job, searching for some missing jewels. When the activities of a serial murderer cross his path and interrupt his search, he turns his efforts to tracking him down. The killer is the son of a local policeman and feels that he is somehow above the ordinary concerns of mere mortals: his murders are his way of proving this. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide