Patrick Timsit Movies

Two lifelong friends set off on a remarkable adventure in this animated feature. Azur (Rayan Mahjoub) is an orphaned boy living in 18th century France, where he's being raised by Jenane (Hiam Abbass), a nurse of Arab heritage who cares for the boy alongside her own son, Asmar (Abdelsselem Ben Amar). Jenane regales the boys with tales of the mysterious Fairy Djinn, a magical creature with great powers but equally great protectors at her disposal. Azur is sent away to school, but when he returns home as a grown man (now voiced by Cyril Mourali), he finds Jenane and Asmar have gone. Convinced the Fairy Djinn is responsible, Azur hops a ride aboard a sailing ship and sets out to find the Djinn as well as his friends. However, in time Azur meets up with Asmar (now voiced by Karim M'Ribah) only to discover he and his mother are also searching for the powerful Djinn for their own purposes. Now that his best friend has become a competitor in the race to find the Djinn, Azur recruits a team of helpers to aid him as he tries to beat Asmar in their game. Azur and Asmar received its world premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Patrice Leconte directs the period drama Rue des Plaisirs, set in Paris during the 1940s. Born to a prostitute, Petit Louis (Patrick Timsit) grows up in a brothel called the Oriental Palace. He is raised by the family of prostitutes and eventually becomes the brothel's handyman. Having developed an idealized romantic nature, Petit Louis instantly falls in love with the new girl, Marion (supermodel Laetitia Casta). Though she doesn't return his affections, he shows his love by finding her auditions to develop her singing career. He also tries to find her the perfect mate in Dimitri Josco (Vincent Elbaz), who ends up being less than expected. After the end of World War II, the government shuts down the brothels just as Marion, Petit Louis, and Dimitri find themselves in trouble. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

A stuffy French military man is transformed into a legendary Polynesian warrior in this light comic adventure tale. Capt. Alfred de Morsac (Thierry Lhermitte) is a French naval officer who, after distinguishing himself in battle against the enemy in Morocco, is sent to Tahiti in 1914, where his assignment is to persuade the natives to join the French army and fight in the trenches. However, when Morsac arrives in Tahiti, he finds that the island is ruled by Lefebvre (Francois Berleand), the French military governor who minds his charges with an iron hand, and is intent upon getting revenge on Meoata (Marie Trintignant), the widow of the last man who attempted to overthrow Lefebvre's martial regime. While Morsac, all starched uniforms and stiff upper lip, is a fish out of water in Tahiti, he soon decides that something must be done about Lefebvre's tyrannical oppression of his people, and Morsac attempts to intervene; while earning the admiration of the Tahitians, he ends up in prison for his troubles. But Reia (Anituavau Lande), Meoata's son, is convinced that Morsac is "Tefa'aora," a brave leader of local legend who will rise up to lead the Tahitians in a revolt to win their freedom. Morsac himself is less convinced, but he manages to escape from prison with the help of con man and fellow jailbird Barnabe (Patrick Timsit), and attempts to organize the islanders into a fighting force that can overthrow Lefebvre. Le Prince du Pacifique was directed and co-written by Alain Corneau, who previously worked with co-star Patrick Timsit in the international success Un Indien Dans La Ville (later remade in the United States as Jungle 2 Jungle). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Alain Berberian directed this French comedy about night watchman Franck (Patrick Timsit), who skips out on work to attend a soccer match. He sits next to a TV star who's photographed. The photo makes the cover of a national magazine, prompting Franck's boss to fire him. He can't bring himself to tell his beautician wife Evelyne (Catherine Frot), but he asks for compensation from the magazine. Franck becomes friends with paparazzo Michel (Vincent Lindon) without learning that it was Michel who got him fired. The film's commentary on paparazzi and privacy surfaces: Michel discovers he can't seem to get rid of the nerdy Franck, who constantly follows him about. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

A glorious dancer and a beautiful actress, Marquise (originally known as mademoiselle Du Parc) won the hearts of some of mid-17th-century France's brightest lights, including Moliere, the actor Racine and even the Sun King himself, Louis XIV. Beginning with considerable comedy and ending with almost Grecian tragedy, this lush costumer recounts the story of her life amidst the muck and splendor of medieval Paris and beyond. It was Moliere and his companion Gros-Rene who discovered Marquise dancing in the rain before an eager crowd of men. The girl's father collects the money they offer while she dutifully services each and every one. Moliere, Gros-Rene and their acting troupe pause briefly to watch her dance. The rotund comic Gros-Rene immediately falls head over heels, and even though she is with an old man he rushes up to propose and offers to steal her away to Paris. Marquise accepts and so launches her career. Though there will be many other men in her life, she keeps a special place in her heart reserved only for her unlikely spouse. Marquise later becomes involved with Racine. The two work together often, but as his career takes off towards the stars, hers goes in another direction, one that leads to tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

As part of an intergalactic coalition, a well-meaning space alien volunteers to bring a message of self-actualization and harmony with nature to the one planet rejected by all her peers as incorrigible--Earth. This family-oriented French sci-fi comedy chronicles her adventures on the chaotic planet. Mila is 150 years old and has five children; encoded in her brain are two telepathic programs designed to restructure the thinking of destructive humans. The first is a fairly mild program designed to inspire the humans to rethink their world and begin asking some difficult questions. The other is far stronger and rapidly indoctrinates subjects with lofty utopian ideals and makes them deeply aware of themselves. Mila lands in Paris and is unnoticed but for the sudden, inexplicable power surges and outages that occur whenever she sends a telepathic message to her alien cohorts. Instead of eating, Mila draws energy from holding newborn babies. It is while holding an orphan infant in an obstetrics ward that her Earthly troubles begin. Feeling deeply for the baby's plight, she confronts the ward's head doctor and when logic fails, looses her programs upon him. Instantly the unsympathetic brute sees the light and begins helping her save the babe from wicked welfare workers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A jungle boy comes to Paris in this French adventure that while primarily aimed towards children, will be equally enjoyable to adult audiences. The film opens with Steph, an international trader, winging to Venezuela to formally divorce his estranged wife Patricia who left him thirteen years ago to live in Lipo-Lipo, a remote outpost deep in the Amazon. While he is there, Steph discovers that Patricia secretly bore him a son, Mimi-Siku. Mimi is truly a child of the jungle, but he longs to see the Eiffel Tower. He returns to Paris with his father. Upon arrival, Steph is dismayed to discover that his partner Richard has fumbled a major soybean deal and that both of their jobs are on the line. While Richard and Steph are frantically trying to sell their excess beans which includes suspicious interactions with the Russian Mafia, Mimi-Siku, dressed in his loincloth and carrying his bow and arrow, explores his new home. Pandemonium ensues as the boy climbs the Eiffel Tower, begins shooting and eating aquarium fish, and accidently terrifying people with his pet tarantula. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, veterinarian Henri Sauveur (Jean Rochefort) maintains his dignity and calm in the face of an incredible number of irritating or even genuinely upsetting encounters with inveterate pains-in-the-neck. He suffers from the rudeness (and worse) of Parisian drivers, his relatives, and friends and clients. All the same, he manages to convey an admirable appearance of insouciance and a devil-may-care attitude. That is, until he meets the redoubtable Louise Sherry (Miou-Miou). He is so smitten with her charms that his artfully maintained defenses crumble pitifully, and he is reduced to confiding his troubles to a bemused but sympathetic female chimpanzee. This fast-paced comedy features some of France's best-loved actors and comedians, including Claude Brasseur, Jean Yanne, and Jacques Villeret) in walk-on performances. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Bayard (Remi Martin) is a lowly squire who joins the army of King Charles (Patrick Timsit) after he is rejected by the noblewoman Blanche de Savoie (Anne-Gisel Glass). Bellabre (Gerard Jugnot) is the army captain who trains Bayard for the proposed invasion of Naples. Bayard returns a conquering hero to win the heart of Blanche, who defies the newly crowned King Louis XII (Martin Lamotte) and the Machiavellian Scottomayor (Roland Giraud) to marry her heroic soldier. Sight gags and parodies abound in this comedy that contains some of the grim humor of Monte Python And The Holy Grail. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide