Jean-Pierre Darroussin Movies

French filmmakers Gérard Bitton and Michel Munz write and direct the comedy Ah! Si j'etais Riche (If I Were a Rich Man). Salesman Aldo (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is getting divorced from his wife Alice (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi). When he unexpectedly wins ten million euros in the lottery, he has to maintain the secret until the divorce is final. Though entitled to take half of his earnings, she's momentarily distracted by an affair with his boss, Gérard (Richard Berry). Co-writer/director Michel Munz also provides the original music. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

A strange phone call sets in motion a series of traumatic events in writer/director Jeanne Labrune's self-described "fantasy," C'est le Bouquet! Catherine (Sandrine Kiberlain of Alias Betty) and Raphaël (Jean-Pierre Darroussin of The Town Is Quiet) seem a reasonably happy middle-class Parisian couple until early one morning, when an old acquaintance, Emmanuel Kirsch (co-writer and one-time Godard collaborator Richard Debuisne) calls Catherine out of the blue and asks how much she got for a piece of real estate she sold 15 years earlier. This lapse of etiquette leads to an argument between Catherine and Raphaël that causes Raphaël to question the way he lives his life. That day, he goes to work and insults his pugnacious, blindly acquisitive stock-trader boss, Stéphane (Mathieu Amalric), who promptly fires him. Raphaël goes out and discusses his self-loathing with a sympathetic and amorous co-worker, Edith (Dominique Blanc). Meanwhile, Emmanuel, by way of apology, sends a bouquet to Catherine, which is misinterpreted by the couple's nosy neighbors, Antoine (Maurice Bénichou) and Alice (Hélène Lapiower), as a romantic gesture. They decide to steal Emmanuel's card so that Raphaël won't know who the flowers are from. Naturally, this only complicates the situation further. When Catherine and Raphaël arrange to meet at a local Chinese restaurant, Catherine can't find the place, and asks Robert (Jean-Claude Brialy) for directions, which leads to an argument when Robert, a playwright who also happens to be Emmanuel's neighbor, makes what Catherine thinks is a racially insensitive comment. At the restaurant, Raphaël tells Catherine about the job, and the couple contemplate what it will be like to be poor. Blanc was nominated for a César for Best Supporting Actress. C'est le Bouquet! was shown at Lincoln Center in New York as part of their 2003 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

This French family film is filled with action, animals, adventure, and suspense. The story is told from a child's viewpoint. One day, while playing in his secret tree house in the forest, 11-year old Antoine spies upon bank robbers stashing 40-million francs worth of loot. One of the robbers is the father of his newest best friend Lisa, a 10-year old Canadian visitor. Not wanting to rat on her father, Antoine instead moves the money to a different spot. Neither he, nor Lisa have a lot of respect for their frequently absent fathers. They find adults to be inherently hypocritical. Both kids do share a love of animals though. Together, they decide to run away to Biarritz, a resort town, and start spending a little money. The thieves are livid when they discover their stash is missing, particularly Max, and they try, unsuccessfully to catch the kids. Antoine is assisted by his muscular governess Clemence as he and Lisa suffer through numerous narrow escapes while spending their ill-gotten gain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This way-offbeat comedy from Gallic director Jeanne Labrune concerns two young French women, best friends Léa and Jacinthe. While Jacinthe develops a fixation with the moths that begin to cluster in frightening quantities throughout her apartment, Léa finds herself drawn to a dim-witted fellow employed by a local supermarket, then impulsively decides to follow him home via train. When Léa mysteriously disappears during the days that follow, Jacinthe naturally grows concerned about her friend and decides to investigate. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Martine and Jacques (Zabou and Sam Karmann) knew their friend before he became an important television personality, but have not seen him for over ten years. They are hospitable people - witness the fact that they have been putting up with having writer Georges (Jean-Pierre Bacri) be their informal roommate, as he sleeps on their living-room sofa off and on over the years whenever he is between jobs. They have invited their friend and his wife Charlotte (Agnes Jaoui) over for dinner, and are on pins and needles, as they want everything to go just right. Instead, George allows his bitterness that Charlotte, his ex-girlfriend, married a success to overwhelm him, and Martine and Jacques are apalled when their brother, who hasn't a penny and is deeply in debt, persuades their guest of honor to join him in a high-stakes poker game. The many subcurrents taking place between the celebrity and everyone else necessitate frequent conferences in the kitchen. This movie is based on a successful stage play, and features the original cast. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A couple of ne'er-do-wells fight the global economic setbacks of the early 21st century with a unique brand of crime - and establish themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods - in this zany caper comedy from France. After 17 years spent working in one of Paris's most elite banks, Julien (Gerard Lanvin) believes he's only a few days from fulfilling his dream of leaving this dead-end job and opening a local bistro with his pal, the brasserie chef Etienne (Jean-Pierre Daroussin). Then both men's bids for a bank loan are rejected, and Julien's billionaire boss adamantly refuses to help them out. Seething with a desire for revenge, Julien takes advantage of his job by picking up tips on the stock market gleaned during bank luncheons, and using it to his and Etienne's financial advantage. Inevitably, Julien's neighbors get wind of the scheme and request that he invest their money, which gets Julien in way over his head - especially when the local off-track betting group takes advantage of the situation by changing their game from horsetrack betting to gambling on the stock market. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Love becomes a family affair during a trip abroad in this sunny comedy from France. Albert (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is a bright but socially inept librarian who has partial custody of his teenage daughter Jeanne (Anais Demoustier), whose mother divorced him years ago. Each summer, Albert takes Jeanne on a vacation with him to a different country; while the trips are intended to be her birthday present, it's clear to everyone but Albert that she'd just as soon not be bothered. As Jeanne is about to turn seventeen, Albert packs her off to join him in a voyage to Sweden, where he hopes to find valuable Viking artifacts with his metal detector, while she would prefer to have fun on her own. Albert and Jeanne end up sharing a vacation house with two women, Annika (Lia Boysen) and Christine (Judith Henry), and while Albert seems a bit intimidated by his new roommates, Jeanne is impressed with their spirited attitude and quickly bonds with them. As Albert pays a visit to a doctor following a minor accident, Jeanne meets a local boy named Johan (Bjorn Gustaffson) and finds herself falling head over heels for him; meanwhile, Christine becomes increasingly attracted to Albert, and Annika is also called on by Cupid when she unexpectedly crosses paths with a former boyfriend. Les Grandes Personnes (aka Grown Ups) was the first feature film from director Anna Novion. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Noted French director Michel Couvelard creates this bleak, understated drama about midlife crises. Twenty years ago, Robert (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) left his home in the provincial northern town of Boulogne to make it as an actor. His career never amounted to much, as he managed only a couple of acting jobs on TV. Without warning, he returns to his hometown and drops in on his sister (Catherine Frot) who is in the throes of a sordid affair with her married boss. Later, Robert drops in on his younger brother, who is mentally retarded and lives with his elderly mother. As the film progresses, it quietly, sensitively depicts Robert's disruption of the lives of the members of his family. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Getting away from it all causes more problems than it solves in this comedy from the French writing-directing team of Jean-Marie Larrieu and Arnaud Larrieu. Alexandre Darou (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) and his wife Aurore Lalu (Sabine Azema) are a pair of well-known actors who need a break from the tension and fast pace of their lives in show biz. Adopting the names "Mr. and Mrs. Go," Alexandre and Aurore head for a village high in the mountains of Southwest France, where they hope to enjoy some relaxing downtime and they won't be bothered. However, Alexandre and Aurore underestimated their own fame, and it isn't long before everyone in the town knows that a pair of movie stars are in their midst. As the couple head into the hills, Alexandre and Aurore discover they don't have much of a talent for roughing it, and while she believed that getting away from the city would help her deal with a recent bout with nymphomania, getting back to nature only increases her appetite for other men. Le Voyage Aux Pyrenees (aka Journey To The Pyrenees) was shown as part of the Directors Fortnight series at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this crime comedy set in the interracial slums of Marseilles, the children are pressed into service to run small-time theft rings to pay for their father's drug or booze habits. However, when the whole city is divided up into two rival gangs, the mothers decide they have had enough of this abusive foolishness. They take over the entire criminal business of the city, and ensure that their darlings steal from the rich instead of from other poor people. The story of this revolution is narrated by a sympathetic parish priest (Jean-Pierre Darroussin). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Noted French screenwriter Daniele Thompson makes her directorial debut with this lighthearted romantic comedy. After the December 21st funeral of Yvette's (Francoise Fabian) second husband, she is consoled by the three daughters from her first marriage to Stanislas (Claude Rich), a Russian-Jewish violinist. The oldest, Lorba (Sabine Azema), lives with her father and makes a living by singing ballads in a Russian cabaret, Sonia (Emmanuelle Beart) is a fastidious middle-class housewife, and Yvette's youngest, Milla (Charlotte Gainsbourg), is a go-getting businesswoman. As Christmas celebrations gather steam, Louba learns that at age 42, she is unexpectedly pregnant by Gilbert, her married lover of 12 years. Meanwhile, Sonia develops a habit of taking five-finger discounts while shopping, and Milla takes up with a mysterious drifter who lives as a boarder in Stanislas' house. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide