Chantal Lauby Movies
- 2007
Just how much damage can a homely, socially-taunted pariah wield against her neighbors when revenge is the order of the day? Such is the question at the heart of Vilaine (AKA Ugly Melanie), widely regarded as the (unofficial) "nasty opposite" of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's audience-pleaser Amelie. Though she is initially a sweetheart who delights in acts of kindness to others, obese and klutzy Melanie (Marilou Berry) seldom, if ever, elicits any gratitude from the recipients of her generosity. This sets the stage for a nasty and startling reversal when Melanie's sexy, svelte cousin, Aurore (Frederique Bel) pushes her to the edge with a cruel prank - the lie that Melanie has a Valentine's Day suitor. Melanie grows so distraught that a torrent of pent-up rage emerges and prompts her to undertake hideous, cathartic revenge on the innocents around her, including a number of small pets. Directors Jean-Patrick Benes and Allan Mauduit approach the material as transgressive, jet-black comedy that challenges accepted standards and frequently lapses into deliberate bad taste. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marilou Berry, Frederique Bel, (more)
A winning game show contestant falls prey to an opportunistic actress who seeks to deceive him by seduction, and take him for all he's worth. Jalil has just won big on "Mr. Average," Germany's most popular game show. When a beautiful woman named Claire walks into his life shortly thereafter, Jalil falls hopelessly in love. But what Jalil doesn't know could break his heart: Claire is an actress playing a role, and Jalil is her ticket to the big time. But the deeper Claire sinks into her role, the more difficult it becomes to maintain her performance. The greater the lie grows, the more confused Claire becomes about her true feelings and convictions. Will Claire discover her conscience in time to realize that true love is actually within reach, or is it too late to tell Jalil the truth and finally make amends for her cruel act of deception? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Caroline Dhavernas, Khalid Maadour, (more)
- 2003
A woman on her own finds herself taking a second chance at love, with hilarious results, in the comedy from France. Odile Rousselet (Chantal Lauby) is a well-regarded if not exactly famous actress whose ongoing midlife crisis kicks into high gear when her teenage daughter, Marie (Armelle Deutsch), tells her she's moving out of the house, and in with her boyfriend, Guillaume (Christophe Debonneuil). Understandably upset, Odile finds herself troubled not only by her anxieties about her daughter, but by her own loneliness. However, Odile's attitudes begin to change when she meets Kader (Jean-Pierre Martins). A handsome younger man who runs a ride at a local fair, Kader catches Odile's eye, and she finds herself feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl when he's around -- and has even more trouble controlling her feelings when Kader responds in kind. Laisse Tes Mains sur Mes Hanches was written and directed by leading lady Chantal Lauby; it was her first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chantal Lauby, Jean-Pierre Martins, (more)
- 2002
Based on the original '60s French comic books by René Goscinny, Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre is the big-budget sequel to the 1999 box-office hit Astérix and Obélix vs. Caesar. Empress Cleopatra (Monica Bellucci) makes a wager with Julius Caesar (played by writer/director Alain Chabat) that her people can build a beautiful palace in three months. She chooses architect Numerobis (Jamel Debbouze) for the project, which must be completed in time or he will be fed to the crocodiles. Numerobis travels to Gaul to get help from the superpowered Panoramix (Claude Rich) and the warriors Astérix (Christian Clavier) and Obélix (Gérard Depardieu), along with their faithful pet Dogmatix. They use their magic potion to make the Egyptian slave-labor population into superheroes, thereby building the palace in no time. Meanwhile, the angry architect Amonbofis (Gérard Darmon) and Julius Caesar don't want to see them succeed. At the time of its release, Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre was the most expensive French film ever made, with a budget of $50 million. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Christian Clavier, (more)
- 2001
Corruption threatens to move into a heretofore idyllic village in this comedy-drama. Hector St. Rose (Med Hondo) is the mayor of a seaside community in the Antilles Islands, a French-controlled territory in the West Indies. Hector has long been determined not to sacrifice the well-being of his constituents in order to make the village more attractive to tourists, which has made him popular with his citizens, but not so much so with outside developers. Some unscrupulous businessmen who want to locate in Hector's community decide to sway his opinion by kidnapping his wife, but the scoundrels don't count on the high regard in which Hector is held, both by the island's current residents and those who have moved away. Antilles-Sur-Seine was written and directed by Pascal Legitimus, with Med Hondo setting aside his usual directorial duties to appear as leading man. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Med Hondo, Chantal Lauby, (more)
- 2000
Gerard Jugnot directs and stars in this comedy about a doting father and his daughter who managed to get cast in a film. Yvon Rance (Jugnot), who runs a hair salon in Brittany, only wants his beloved teenaged daughter Laetita (Berenice Bejo) to be happy, something he believes she'll be able to achieve by completing high school and then following in her father's professional footsteps. When Laetita tells him that she has been cast in the latest movie by renowned director Stephane (Antoine Dulery), he is initially unimpressed. He grudgingly relents when he learns that the money she will make for a couple months of work is twice what he makes in a year. This film was screened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Jugnot, Bérénice Bejo, (more)
- 1997
In this French fantasy-comedy, a magical moonbeam turns a dog into a man's best friend. Annabelle (Caroline Cellier) is a reporter who is sent on an overseas assignment and doesn't think it would be such a great idea to bring Didier, her Golden Retriever, along, so she leaves the pooch in the care of her friend Costa (Jean-Pierre Bacri). Costa is less than excited about being handed dogsitting duties, since he has enough on his mind as it is; he's the coach of a soccer team that has been playing poorly since their star player was sidelined with an injury, and his girlfriend has just given him his walking papers. But one evening a moonbeam glides over Didier, and suddenly the dog is magically transformed into a man (played by Alain Chabat), as luck would have it for Costa, a man who happens to be a really great soccer player. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Chabat, Jean-Pierre Bacri, (more)
- 1996
Done as a parody of reality television shows such as MTV's Real World, this faux docudrama from France also pokes fun at the foibles of modern day monogamy as it spends a year in the life of one young Parisian couple. Delphine works as a proofreader in a publishing house, her live-in lover Yvan works as a tour guide for Japanese visitors. A documentary crew moves in with them to record their every move for the next year. As events progress, two famed sportscasters appear to offer their expert commentary and present instant-replays of highlights including an awkward dinner party at a friend's home, a miserable vacation and Yvan's drunken lapse in judgment with a beautiful stranger, a mistake that costs him Delphine, leaving him to try to dejectedly try to figure out ways to get her back. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Gayet, Serge Hazanavicius, (more)
- 1996
An ice-cold, ruthless business woman, desperate to have a baby, makes a deal with a small manufacturer, desperate to save his business from being take over by the woman's larger company. This French comedy, filled with open discussions of the reproductive process, chronicles the result of their bargain. In order to keep his family toymaking business in France, Eric Fleury agrees to marry the 36-year-old, tough executive Sandrine Rey. Unfortunately, he believes that conjugal rights are part of the bargain. Sandrine has other plans. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clémentine Célarié, Patrick Braoudé, (more)
- 1994
This French comedy parodies horror movies and detective films. It is set at the Cannes Film Festival. There, Odile, a sincere publicist, tries to promote the horror movie "Red Is Dead." The movie tells of a killer in a welding mask who wields a hammer and sickle with deadly results. The trouble begins when a real killer with the same m.o. begins knocking off projectionists at market screenings. In true publicist form, Odile immediately brings the film's star to the festival. To protect him, Odile hires a handsome bodyguard. Odile finds herself romanced by a police commissioner. Meanwhile a stranger lurks in the distance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Chabat, Dominique Farrugia, (more)
