Edouard Montoute Movies
- 2009
This zany, madcap comedy with serious undertones concerns Jean-Gabriel (Lucien Jean-Baptiste), a husband with three children who throws responsibility out the window by drifting aimlessly from job to job and frittering most of his money away on gambling. In an effort to please his disgruntled daughter, he spontaneously agrees to take the family on vacation, little realizing the difficulties that this will wreak. Of course, Jean-Gabriel could always back out. This only problem is a significant one: his wife assures him that she will leave him if he doesn't follow through on their plans. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Firmine Richard, Lucien Jean-Baptiste, (more)
- 2007
French success d'estime Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita) follows up his children's fantasy Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) with this high-adrenaline, action-charged crime comedy that he produced and scripted but did not direct. At the heart of the tale is a nitwit Marseilles cop, Police Commissioner Gilbert (Bernard Farcy), prone to making outrageous blunders such as mistaking soccer star Djibril Cisse (in a cameo) for an illegal immigrant, and a hotel chambermaid for a terrorist. The other major member of the force is Emilien (Frederic Diefenthal), a hard-working soul, yet one perhaps too genial to be a cop. He's best friends with taxicab driver Daniel (Samy Naceri), an individual low-key to the point of anemia; their young sons enjoy playing together. As the tale opens, a manically insane, hyperactive Belgian criminal, "La Belge," (Jean-Luc Couchard) undergoes extradition to trial in Africa; en route, he temporarily lands in the Marseilles police department for a few hours and bamboozles Emilien into believing that he's actually a Belgian embassy employee railroaded by the real crook, who is now at large. Emilien foolishly buys the story and sets La Belge free -- prompting an outrageous and explosive series of complications. Meanwhile, Emilien's achingly beautiful wife (sex symbol Emma Sjoberg-Wyklund) has been assigned to infiltrate La Belge's gang on an undercover level -- so far undercover that Emilien himself isn't even aware of her role. Upon release, Taxi 4 shot to the top of the French box office charts to qualify as a local blockbuster, topping numerous American releases in the process. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samy Naceri, Frédéric Diefenthal, (more)
- 2003
The psychological thriller Dedales (Labyrinth), written and directed by René Manzor, concerns a psychiatrist treating a serial killer. Frederic Diefenthal portrays a police investigator with ESP who eventually plays a part in arresting Claude (Sylvie Testud), an unhinged woman who allows random chance to dictate her actions. Investigators believe Claude has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 30 people. When her first psychiatrist (Michel Duchaussoy) is unable to make headway, he brings in his colleague Brennac (Lambert Wilson). Brennac eventually discovers the key to his patient's split personalities, many of which have a basis in Greek mythology, but the surprising ending alters the audience's perceptions of what has happened in the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lambert Wilson, Sylvie Testud, (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)
Oliver Megaton's action thriller Red Siren, an adaptation of Maurice G. Dantec's La Sirene Rouge, concerns the unusual friendship that develops between a 12-year-old girl, Alice (Alexandra Negrao) and a jaded, 40-year-old hired killer, Hugo (Jean-Marc Barr), who finds, in her, a new lease on life. A group of bad guys are hunting the girl because of her evil mother - relentlessly trying to track her down. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Marc Barr, Alexandra Negrao, (more)
Brian De Palma blends the emotional netherworld of film noir with a stylish portrayal of life among the wealthy and powerful in Paris in this glossy thriller. Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) is a beautiful but mysterious woman who has aligned herself with a small ring of jewel thieves, led by a man known as Black Tie (Eriq Ebouaney), who has planned a major score during the Cannes Film Festival. Sexy model Veronica (Rie Rasmussen) is scheduled to make a spectacular entrance for the screening of director Regis Wargnier's picture, wearing a body-hugging piece of jewelry worth a cool ten million dollars. Laure approaches the sexually adventurous Veronica and is able to seduce her, while at the same time stealing her diamond-studded outfit and replacing it with a carefully constructed counterfeit. Veronica, however, also makes off the loot without giving her partners their cut, and must go into hiding in order to avoid the wrath of Black Tie and his cohorts. Fate allows Laure to make her way to the United States, where in time she marries a powerful politician. Photographer Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas), however, had snapped a picture of Laure while she was on the lam years before, and when he takes an assignment to get a photo of the camera-shy woman, Laure realizes Nicolas is in a position to reveal her new identity to the world -- and put the bloodthirsty Black Tie back on her trail. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca Romijn, Antonio Banderas, (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)
- 2001
A handful of Parisians leave the city behind and head for the beach, with a variety of romantic predicaments following in their wake in this light comedy. Philippe (Serge Hazanavicius) takes his wife and children on a vacation by the sea; however, his lively (and younger) mistress Camille (Sandrine Le Berre) follows him, with little intention of being discreet. Anita (Agnes Soral), who is pregnant, heads out for some sun and fresh air with her partner, Pauline (Veronique Boulanger), though Pauline soon finds her commitment to fidelity severely tested. Attractive Carla (Vanessa Gravina) hits the beach with her less glamorous friend Laurette (Isabelle Gelinas), who has had problems finding the man of her dreams. Rafik (Yasmine Belmadi) and his kid brother Aziz (Maher Kamoun) are enjoying the ocean thanks to tickets they received as a present. And Jimmy (Gad Elmaleh) is a single guy looking for love (or something like it), and he's not shy about asking any woman that crosses his path. Les Gens En Maillot De Bain Ne Sont Pas (Forcement) Superficiels was the first feature directed by Eric Assous, who previously established himself as a screenwriter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Gélinas, Serge Hazanavicius, (more)
- 1999
A clown from Romania (Ticky Holgado) has more than amusing tricks for children on his mind -- he has in his possession a computer disc with information wanted by the police, several organized crime figures and the European Agency for Atomic Energy. After he's chased through Prague by a number of people who want this information for their own purposes, the clown is taken in and protected by a priest (Bruno Putzulu), who was once a clown himself in Russia. This unique crime drama, directed by Eric Besnard, offers equal parts action, philosophy and character study. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tiki Holgado, Vincent Elbaz, (more)
- 1999
In this earnest French drama about a physical therapy center, Camille (Sameul Jouy) is admitted after an ugly scuba diving accident leaves him unable to breath with a machine. After a long period of physical and emotional change, he slowly develops a romance with former coma victim Solange (Marion Cotillard). ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Dupontel
- 1997
Video director Jerome Cornuau made his feature-film debut with this showbiz-themed French film. Young Alice (Ambre Boukebza) hitchhikes into the city to seek out her music-executive dad (Bernard Le Coq) but instead becomes friends with a singing star (Ophelie Winter, portraying herself), learns dancing from African trashman Rudy (Ashanti), polishes her singing skills with an assist from vocalist Nathalie (Lea Drucker), and is romanced by producer Jeremy (Patrick Forster-Delmas). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ambre Boukebza, Ophélie Winter, (more)
- 1997
A doctor learns some things he never expected to know as he searches for a friend on a mission of mercy in this drama. Pierre Feldman (Jean-Yves Dubois) is a French physician who visits the African nation of Port Djema in hopes of finding a close friend and colleague. Port Djema is being torn apart by a bloody civil war, and Pierre's friend, a fellow doctor, went there as a medical volunteer. He's since disappeared, and Pierre hopes to track down his friend and a child under his care. As Pierre is plunged deeper into the nation's civil unrest, he becomes acquainted with Alice (Nathalie Boutefeu), a cab driver who serves as Pierre's guide and appears to have known his friend; and Jerome (Christophe Odent), a French official in Port Djema who seems to know more than he's willing to tell about the fate of a number of French citizens. Port Djema earned a Silver Bear for director Eric Heumann at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Yves Dubois, Nathalie Boutefeu, (more)
- 1997
In this French gangster drama, a young hoodlum, new to his famed father's dubious profession, successfully completes his first hit but then finds himself trapped in between a brutal vendetta between rival gangs. To save himself, Francois joins forces with a motley gang of crooks, led by the emotionally unstable Rufin, and tries to wait the situation out while amusing himself with the affections of a nightclub chanteuse. Meanwhile, his colleagues are being killed off, one by one, leaving him to wonder whether or not his father will use his clout to save him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnaud Giovaninetti, Gérald Laroche, (more)
While to most outsiders Paris seems the very picture of beauty and civility, France has had a long and unfortunate history of intolerance toward outsiders, and this powerful drama from filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz takes an unblinking look at a racially diverse group of young people trapped in the Parisian economic and social underclass. Vinz (Vincent Cassel), who is Jewish, Hubert (Hubert Kounde), who is Black, and Said (Said Taghmaoui), who is Arabic, are young men from the lower rungs of the French economic ladder; they have no jobs, few prospects, and no productive way to spend their time. They hang out and wander the streets as a way of filling their days and are sometimes caught up in frequent skirmishes between the police and other disaffected youth. One day, a street riot breaks out after police seriously injure an Arab student; the three friends are arrested and questioned, and it is learned that a policeman lost a gun in the chaos. However, what they don't know is that Vinz picked it up and has it in his possession, and when Vinz, Hubert, and Said get into a scuffle with a group of racist skinheads, the circumstances seem poised for tragedy. Actress Jodie Foster was so impressed with La Haine when she saw it at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival that she helped to arrange American distribution for the film through her production company, Egg Pictures. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, (more)
