Olivier Dazat Movies

Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's internationally popular cartoon characters Asterix and Obelix take on the world of athletics in this live-action comedy-adventure. It's 50 B.C., and short but wily Asterix (Clovis Cornillac) and his rotund sidekick Obelix (Gerard Depardieu) hit the road for Rome, where they hope to compete in the Olympic Games. Obelix figures he's a sure bet for a weight-lifting medal until he learns his special strength elixir is against the rules, and Asterix is soon distracted by the behind-the-scenes chicanery. Princess Irina (Vanessa Hessler), a beautiful member of the Greek royal family, is being wooed by well-meaning Lovesix (Stephane Rousseau), who is using love poems stolen from Obelix to win her heart, and untrustworthy Brutus (Benoit Poelvoorde), whose father is the Roman emperor Julius Caesar (Alain Delon). Brutus is eager to take over the throne from his father, and keeps trying to kill Caesar off to speed up the process. Asterix Aux Jeux Olympiques (aka Asterix At The Olympic Games) also features cameo appearances from a number of European sports stars, including Zinedine Zidane, Michael Schumacher and Tony Parker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

French director Philippe Le Guay's comedy One Fine Day observes the behavior that may erupt when fate deals a new set of cards to a perpetual loser. Seemingly for years on end, French banker François Berthier (Benoit Pooleverde) has endured a lackluster, burdensome existence, with no perceivable light at the end of the tunnel. Each day carries a new set of hidden frustrations for him. On one particularly dour Monday, Murphy's Law is in full force: the espresso machine explodes, showering François with coffee; he endures a jam-packed, claustrophobic train ride to work; his boss terrorizes him relentlessly; his soon to be ex-wife Caroline (Anne Consigny) indicates that she's almost done with their divorce papers; François bombs at tennis. But just as circumstances seem incapable of growing worse, Fortuna spins upward once again and, mystically, turns everything around on Tuesday: François wakes up to a perfect cup of coffee, receives a much-sought-after apology from his boss, meets a beautiful young woman in a cafeteria who flirts with him, and even draws renewed interest from Caroline. At a loss to account for this change of fate, François nonetheless revels in it, and - bolstered by a renewed sense of confidence - tries to see how far he can push his success - with the most riotous and unpredictable of consequences. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A businessman tries to belatedly learn the fine art of friendship in this comedy from French filmmaker Patrice Leconte. François (Daniel Auteuil) is an antique dealer who runs an upscale shop with his business partner, Catherine (Julie Gayet). François is a gently ruthless trader who will do nearly anything to make a deal, and when Catherine throws him a birthday party, someone points out that all the guests are business associates, not personal friends. While François protests that he does indeed have friends, Catherine calls him on it and makes him a deal -- if he can produce his best friend within ten days, he'll be allowed to keep a valuable vase he recently found for the shop, but if not, the vase will belong to her. François agrees to the challenge, but while going through his address book, he begins to realize he really doesn't have any especially close friends. Over the course of several days, François keeps running into Bruno (Dany Boon), a gregarious and friendly taxi driver, and while Bruno's personality rubs François the wrong way, he notices that the cabbie has a way of making (most) people like him. Eager to win his bet with Catherine, François recruits Bruno to give him a crash course in making friends and influencing people, hoping to find a buddy before his deadline. Mon Meilleur Ami (aka My Best Friend) received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

One man's desire to better himself and improve his family's station in life has dire and unexpected consequences in this realistic thriller. Pierre (Gerald Laroche) is a worker in a glass factory whose small stature and quiet demeanor do not disguise the fact that he wants his wife Carole (Luce Mouchel) and son Victor (Bastien Le Roy) to have the good things in life, and he's not afraid to work hard to get them. When Pierre learns that a position is open on the plant's night shift that would pay better, he requests to be transferred, but he soon discovers that the late-shift staff is a different breed than the co-workers he's used to -- especially Fred (Marc Barbe), a large and arrogant man who alternately glad-hands Pierre for his friendship and treats him with contempt. Pierre takes great pains to be civil with Fred, but when Pierre gets a promotion and Fred does not, Fred explodes with rage, and the two find themselves in a vicious argument that stops just short of a fist fight. Before long, Pierre finds himself back in Fred's good graces, and the other workers are friendlier with him, even offering to help Pierre with a home improvement project. But in time Pierre discovers that what looks like friendship is actually part of a sinister and carefully orchestrated attempt on Fred's part to get revenge. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Himalaya, l'Enfance d'un Chef is a fiction film about the forgotten people of Tibet, focusing on their daily lives and traditional customs. In a remote village in the Dolpo in the northwestern Himalayas of Nepal, Tinle, a charismatic old chief, has just lost his eldest son. He refuses to allow his son's friend Karma, whom he holds responsible for his son's death, to lead a caravan of yaks. Karma defies the old man's anger and the shaman's advice and moves the caravan, with the help of other village youtha, before the date set by the ritual. On the day indicated by the gods, Tinle gets together the village elderly and sets out on the same journey with his second son and his grandson, who is destined to be the next chief. The ancestral struggle between the old man and the mountains begins all over again. Eric Valli traveled in the region for many years and studied the ways of the people before making this film, which is based on the epic lives of two of his Tibetan friends. The film was shot over a nine-month period with a small French crew working under extreme conditions at an altitude reaching 17,000 feet. Scenic shots are spectacular, particularly those depicting the crossing of the high pass. Himalaya, l'Enfance d'un Chef was shown out of competition at the 1999 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Pierre Richard directed, co-scripted and stars in this French comedy. Former top film comedian Romain (Richard) is on a downward spiral -- rehearsing a play directed by his sister while also dealing with his wife, mistress, taxes, low self-esteem, demands for attention from his two children, and a private detective attempting to snap incriminating photos. Producer Jean-Louis Levi appears in a cameo as a poverty-stricken bum. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Based on a short novel by Ania Carmel, this dark drama follows the survival developed by a brother and sister forced to grow up under the tyrannical rule of a father who brutally attempts to instill a sense of self-reliance and preparedness into them by acts of cruelty. They cannot turn to their mother as she is dying of a terrible illness. To cope, Daniel and Marie form a close bond and communicate telepathically. When their mother finally dies, the children flee as their father tosses furniture out the windows. First they stay with a group of kindly cheese makers. When they prove to have sinister ulterior motives, the kids move on. One night at a disco, a man tries to seduce Marie and this sets the stage for tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This comedy was shot in Tahiti. It focuses on the rocky relationship between Cohn, a local con man, and author Jack Baker who wants to profile Paul Gauguin in an upcoming book. Cohn, an obnoxious crook and pathological liar originally from Paris, has been the bane of the local population for years, yet despite his annoyances they will not arrest him. Hearing that Cohn owns an authentic Gauguin, Jack Baker makes his acquaintance. They do not get off to a great start, but eventually become friends after Cohn's secret is discovered. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide