Bruno Levy Movies

Fate brings together two people who have more in common than the surface would suggest in this drama from filmmaker Cedric Klapisch. France (Karin Viard) is a working-class single mother who finds herself in a tight spot when the factory she's been employed at for two decades is shut down in the wake of a corporate merger. With few prospects in her hometown, she leaves her daughters in the care of her sister and heads to Paris, hoping to find work as a domestic. France lands a job as a housekeeper for Steve (Gilles Lellouche), a smooth-talking businessman who has just relocated to Paris after several years in London, where he negotiated the deal that cost France her job. Steve has a young son, but barely has the time to look after him, and when he's forced to spend a few weeks away on business, he offers France a healthy bonus to take care of the boy. France doesn't mind the work and enjoys seeing how the other half lives, but there's a side to her that Steve doesn't know about, and vice versa. Ma Part du Gâteau (aka My Piece Of The Pie) was an official selection at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A French writer finds his life is once again being turned sideways by his footloose European friends in this sequel to the international hit L'Auberge Espagnole. Five years after we last saw him, Xavier (Romain Duris) has given up his aspirations of a career in international finance, but his new path as a writer isn't going as well as he hoped; his novel about his experiences in Spain has yet to be published, and lately he's been writing scripts for a French soap opera. When his French producers enter into a co-production agreement with a British network and Xavier lands an assignment ghost-writing a tell-all autobiography for famous fashion model Celia Shelburn (Lucy Gordon), he finds himself spending plenty of time traveling between Paris and London. In London, Xavier becomes reacquainted with Wendy (Kelly Reilly), whom he met during his time in Spain, and he wonders if he should take another stab at a relationship with her; Wendy is currently involved, but is increasingly frustrated with her boyfriend's drug problems and mood swings. Xavier is also infatuated with Celia, and wonders if a dalliance with the glamorous model might be possible. Needing romantic advice, Xavier turns to another old friend, Isabelle (Cécile De France), a lesbian who offers her understanding of women as well as a spare bedroom in her flat. Xavier also gets pointers from his ex-girlfriend Martine (Audrey Tautou), who has a child from a former beau and is trying to sort out her own romantic troubles. Russian Dolls (aka Les Poupées Russes) also features Kevin Bishop, reprising his role as William from the first film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A man eager to learn Spanish gets an education he wasn't expecting in this comedy drama. Xavier (Romain Duris) is a French economics student who is nearing the completion of his degree and is looking for work. Xavier's father arranges for him to meet a ranking member of the Ministry of Finance, who makes him an offer -- he can give him a good job, but only under the condition that he learn to speak Spanish. Determined not to pass up the opportunity, Xavier enrolls in a language program in Barcelona, despite the misgivings of his girlfriend, Martine (Audrey Tautou). Upon his arrival, Xavier moves into a large house shared by a large group of students from all over Europe. Xavier finds that his ideas and attitudes are challenged in a positive way by the diverse personalities of his housemates, and that his loyalty to Martine is tested by his attraction to Anne-Sophie (Judith Godrèche), a sweet but lonesome woman from France who has been away from her husband for too long. After a visit, most of Xavier's roommates decide they don't much care for Martine and Xavier gets advice on seducing Anne-Sophie from an unexpected source -- Isabelle (Cécile de France), a footloose lesbian living in the house. L'Auberge Espagnole received its world premier at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and went on to earn prizes at the 2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the 2003 Lumière Awards, and the 2003 César Awards. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Sephardic Jewish characters who headlined the riotous 1997 comedy Would I Lie To You? - all employees in the garment business - return for this laugh-filled 2001 sequel. At the center of the farce are Dov (Gad Elmaleh), Patrick (Gilbert Melki), Serge (Jose Garcia), Yvan (Bruno Solo) and Eddie (Richard Anconina), friends for life and colleagues in the said industry, who spend their days wheeling and dealing and establishing connections but run the socioeconomic gamut from filthy rich to lower working class. A series of misunderstandings commences when blue-collar Serge - employed as a motorcycle messenger and living with his parents - takes the wealthy Patrick's blue Rolls Royce convertible out on an errand and runs headfirst into Chochana (Elisa Tovati), a Jewish girl with whom he feels instantly smitten. She naturally assumes, given the car, that he's wealthy - and he of course does nothing to discourage this. In time, Serge manages to prolong the economic ruse to such a degree that he ends up engaged to the high-maintenance Chocana, and on a headfirst collision course with her furniture kingpin father (Enrico Macias). Meanwhile, the garment industry as a whole in Le Sentier (the chief Parisian neighborhood in which the men do business) suffers from a massive economic downturn, thanks in no small part to escalating labor costs and the flourishing of Internet start-ups; in desperation, Yvan and Eddie turn to EuroDiscount, a massive chain of European department stores, with a feeble attempt to sell their merchandise to that outfit. They fail to count, however, on the ugly reaction of the cunning manager, Vierhouten (Daniel Prevost), which threatens to send them spiraling toward bankruptcy. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

In this tribute to the Spaghetti Western, amiable ex-con Gerard (Samuel Le Bihan) agrees to help his boss' nephew infiltrate an urban fortress to carry off a drug deal with representatives of mob boss Ludo Daes (Jean-Pierre Kalfon). Unfortunately, the nephew goes a bit nuts and causes a shoot-out, and Gerard is the only one to emerge from the fracas alive. Armed with a duffel bag full of several million of Daes' francs, he flees Paris for the countryside and finds work at an isolated cheese-producing farm, where his co-workers are six inner-city toughs being given a chance to reform their lives outside of prison. Gerard starts to eke out an agreeable existence with the delinquents, but Daes wants his cash back, and, in the company of some Central European thugs, pays Gerard a visit. Together with the kids, Gerard attempts to outsmart the mobster. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

In this low-key drama from France, Marie (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) has been laid off for over a year; depressed and with little to do, she drifts through the aisles of a supermarket, aimlessly doing her shopping. She bumps into Pierre (Patrick Dell'Isola); they strike up a conversation and she discovers that he worked for the same firm and was also let go, about a month ago. They keep running into each other at the market and strike up a friendship that grows into an affair. But Marie and Pierre are both married, and neither wants their spouses to know; this relationship has less to do with love than with a need to fill up the empty hours of the day and restore their damaged self-esteems. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Can a gay man find happiness with the mother of Jesus Christ? Mario $Gregoire Colin) is a openly homosexual hairdresser who one day meets Marie-Helene (Isabelle Carre) when he sees her singing beside a tree in a park. They get to know each other and Mario discovers Marie-Helene believes she is the Virgin Mary; though obviously pregnant, she says no man had anything to do with her unborn child. Marie-Helene also needs a place to live, so Mario brings her home, which comes as a shock to his step-mother (Carmen Maura) and half-sister, who aren't used to seeing Mario socializing with women, let along pregnant virgins. However, Marie-Helene's kindness and grace soon wins everyone over, even if her story is less than convincing. This surreal fable was the directorial debut for filmmaker Jean-Claude Janer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A former schoolteacher turned film distributor, Jean-Pierre Jackson made his directorial debut with this French comedy about two losers. When alimony payments catch up with Felix (Philippe Chevaillier), his furniture is seized. After a decade-long marriage, Raoul (Regis Laspales) leaves his wife. The two team for a job with Le Gai Vendangeur (The Jolly Vintner) as sales reps, but they score zero while tooling around Brittany in a silly station wagon decorated with an immense wine bottle atop the vehicle's roof. However, when they're joined by friendly, sexy Eliane (Cecile Bois), sales surge. The wine pours, and so does the money. Life is sweet, but it all turns sour when an affair begins between Felix and Eliane, much to Raoul's regret. The film's soundtrack includes Xavier Cugat. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Mathieu Kassovitz's Assassins(s) stars Michel Serrault as Mr. Wagner. For over 40 years, Mr. Wagner has been a successful assassin, but now he is 70; his hands tremble and his eyesight and reflexes are rapidly failing. Mr. Wagner is ready to retire, but first he must find a successor. Max (Mathieu Kassovitz) is 25 years old. He augments his salary as a welder by committing petty crimes. With his emotions dulled from many years of watching television and his reflexes perfected from countless hours of video gaming, he seems to Wagner, the perfect protégé. In addition to teaching Max how to handle his weapons and techniques for killing, Mr. Wagner also teaches him about the ethics of assassination. Unfortunately, Max seems to have a short attention span and operates with a set of different rules; these quirks manifest themselves when he goes out on his first solo hit. This examination on the harmful effects of pop culture was screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

In this satirical French comedy, divorced and unemployed father Henri (Hippolyte Girardot) recruits others who are jobless, evicted, living with parents, surviving on welfare, or staying in shelters. With his core group of the eight unemployed young people, Henri's objective is to form his own political party. One member of the group, however, is Antoine (Gad Elmaleh), head of a successful software firm, who poses as a jobless loser while romancing ex-communist Solange (Florence Pernel). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

In this black comedy from France, a family gathers in a tavern, ostensibly to celebrate a birthday, but poking each other's sore spots turns out to be the main order of business. Henri (Jean-Pierre Bacri) runs a saloon that he inherited from his father called "The Sleepy Dad," and in the near-empty bar, he plays host to several members of the family as they mark the 35th birthday of his sister-in-law, Yolande (Catherine Frot). Henri's sister, Betty (Agnès Jaoui), is 30, single, and not very happy about it; his brother (and Yolande's husband), Phillipe (Vladimir Yordanoff), runs a growing software company; Mother (Claire Maurier) is the siblings' strong-willed matriarch; and Henri's dog is on hand, whom someone describes as "like a rug, but alive." It's not been a good day for most of them: Phillipe is convinced that his business will go out the window as a result of the ugly tie that he wore on television; Betty is depressed about the sad state of her current relationship; Henri has just learned that his wife is leaving him; and Mother is tossing caustic barbs at everyone left and right. Henri's bartender Denis (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is the one neutral party on hand, and he provides the voice of reason in the midst of the bickering. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi