Sergi López

Writer/director Samuel Benchetrit takes the helm for this laid-back crime comedy that weaves together four stories which all eventually convene at a roadside diner. Franck (Edouard Baer) is a petty criminal who is currently pondering the prospect of holding up a remote diner. When observant waitress Suzie (Anna Mouglalis) eventually realizes that Franck has more than a meal on his mind, she reveals that she too had considered robbing the place until getting disheartening peak at the anemic cash register. In the second story, desperate criminals Leon (Bouli Lanners) and Paul (Serge Lariviere) kidnap the daughter of a wealthy businessman in hopes of earning a tidy ransom, but soon find themselves forced to act as surrogate parents when the young girl is revealed to be suicidal. Later, after two aging rock stars (Alain Bashung and Arno) discuss their careers over a meal at the diner, four former gangsters smuggle an old friend out of the hospital for a nostalgic trip to their former hideout, only to discover that the familiar log cabin has long since been razed and replaced with a modest diner that provides no means for lying low. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

La curva de la felicidad director Manuel Poirier helms this introspective drama concerning a soon-to-be divorced father of three who falls deeply in love with a woman desperate to prevent her childhood home from being auctioned off. Malo was going through one of the roughest periods of his life when he decided to take a road trip with a group of his closest friends. One day, while driving past a quaint country home that appears to be up for sale, Malo decides to have a look inside and discovers a letter written by a young girl to her father many years ago. The emotional content of the letter soon sparks something deep within Malo, who subsequently makes it his mission to locate the owners of the secluded home: two thirty-something sisters who long to hold onto their childhood home but can't afford to keep up payments. As Malo gradually gets to know the sisters, he falls deeply in love with Chloe, the sibling whose emotional attachment to the house remains the strongest. Upon discovering that the home will soon be sold to the highest bidder, Malo makes the bold decision to keep the dreams of his newfound love alive by purchasing it before it goes up for auction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

First-time director Samuel Benmchetrit's 2003 debut Janis et John (Janis and John) follows the comedic exploits of a down-on-his luck insurance salesman as he attempts to make up for some very poor financial decisions. Pablo Sterni (Sergi Lopez), the aforementioned insurance salesman, has, until recently, been an honest business man. As of late, though, Pablo had been siphoning money from one of his more successful client's accounts -- one that covers a very expensive sports car. When that client, Mr. Cannon (Jean-Louis Trintignant), turns in a loss claim for that car for a half-million francs, Pablo finds himself in a tight spot. Inspiration strikes when Pablo learns that his hippy-dippy cousin Leon (Christopher Lambert, billed as Christophe Lambert) has just inherited a million francs from his recently deceased father. Leon, a perpetually stoned record store owner, lives solely for the day his 1973 vision of John Lennon and Janis Joplin's Christ-like return to Earth is fulfilled. After visiting with his cousin, Pablo decides to assist Leon in reliving his dream -- as well as parting him with much of his inheritance -- by convincing his wallflower wife, Brigitte (Marie Trintignant, murdered mere weeks before the film's debut, thus marking her final film appearance) and an out-of-work actor (François Cluzet) to impersonate Janis and John. Janis et John was selected for inclusion in the 2003 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

Two of the biggest stars of the French cinema bring their contrasting styles together in this lively romantic comedy. Rose (Juliette Binoche) is an emotional makeup artist who is hoping to get out of a bad relationship with her boyfriend, Sergio (Sergi Lopez), by leaving him in Paris and heading off to Mexico for a holiday. After losing her cell phone, Rose borrows one from Felix (Jean Reno), a somewhat stiff salesman with an interest in gourmet cooking, who is en route toMunich to attend a funeral. When both Rose and Felix find themselves grounded due to changes in flight scheduling and a transportation strike strands them at the airport, they end up sharing a room at a nearby hotel, where their contrasting personalities make the evening rough sledding for them both. As their unexpected stay wears on, will these opposites begin to attract? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Director Stephen Frears returns to the grittier themes of his earlier films for the urban thriller Dirty Pretty Things. Residing in London, the medically trained Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a Nigerian immigrant working as a taxi driver and a hotel concierge, but he still lives on the edge of poverty. He shares a room with Senay (Amélie's Audrey Tautou making her English-language debut), a Turkish refugee who works as a maid at the hotel. As illegal immigrants, Okwe and Senay live in fear of being deported. One night, working at the front desk, Okwe receives a call from prostitute Juliette (Sophie Okonedo) to check a broken toilet, where he makes a horrifying discovery. He reports it to the manager Sneaky (Sergi Lopez), who blackmails Okwe into staying quiet about it. Okwe soon discovers the presence of a shady business operation that sends him into the seedy London underworld. Senay becomes lured in with hopes of being able to fund her escape to America. Dirty Pretty Things marks the screenwriting debut of Steve Knight, co-creator of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

The feature debut of writer/director Javier Balaguer, Sólo Mía opens on a scene of a relationship gone terribly awry. Some type of violence is occurring off-camera. Soon we see that Angela (Paz Vega of Sex and Lucia) has Joaquín (Sergi López of Dirty Pretty Things) bound and gagged. "Have you ever tried, just once, to see my side?" she asks him. The film jumps back in time, showing us the history of their tumultuous relationship. On the first day of her job as a receptionist at an ad agency, Angela meets Joaquín, who turns out to be her boss. He charms her, and after a whirlwind courtship, they get married. Angela quickly gets pregnant, and Joaquín insists that she quit smoking and quit her job. He wants to control her; she will not be controlled. Their arguments grow more heated. One day, when he finds a pack of cigarettes she's hidden away, he smacks her. He quickly apologizes, and she eventually forgives him, but things just get worse. He gets a promotion at work, where he works with Alejandro (Alberto Jiménez of El Bola). Joaquín gets more and more stressed out about what's going on at the office. One night, after their anniversary party, while their baby girl is at Angela's mother's (María José Alfonso), Joaquín drunkenly assaults Angela. Andrea (Elvira Mínguez), Alejandro's wife, eventually persuades Angela to leave Joaquín, but Joaquín is not ready to give up on their relationship, or give up his daughter. With the legal system unresponsive to her concerns, Angela is forced to take bold action to protect herself. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Seven pairs of people exchange a variety of thoughts, feelings, and concerns in this comedy-drama from Spain. Pepa (Antonia San Juan) wants her lover Teo (Sergi Lopez) to tell her that he loves her, only to be disappointed. Newly single Jorge (Antonio Resines) calls to have the water put in his name at his new apartment, only to discover that the customer service representative is his ex-wife Laura (Fedra Lorente). Angel (Roberto Alvarez) is about to receive a liver transplant when he receives a visit from Mercedes (Adriana Ozores), wife of the deceased donor -- who wants to say goodbye to the liver. Benito (Jorge Alcazar) and Jacinto (Felix Alvarez) discuss life at Boy Scout camp. Teenaged Susi (Diana Cerezo) confides to her best friend Virgi (Melany Belena) that she might be pregnant. Street sweepers Milagros (Geli Albaladejo) and Rosario (Elvira Lindo) find an abandoned infant and wonder if they should keep it. And Elke (Marta Fernandez-Muro) visits Cuba to see her significant other, Cari (Lucrecia). Ataque Verbal reunites much of the cast and crew from director Miguel Albaladejo's first film, 1999's surprise success Manolito Gafotas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Dominik Moll directs this black comedy about a family outing gone to hell. The film opens with Michel (Laurent Lucas) and Claire (Mathilde Seigner) on the edge of a nervous breakdown in a cramped hot car with three screaming children. At a roadside rest stop, Michel meets Harry (Sergi Lopez) who, after some encouragement, recalls that they went to high school together. Harry and his girlfriend Plum (Sophie Guillemin) weasel their way into Michel and Claire's life, and soon the two are following the haggard family to their tumbledown summer cottage. Though he seems friendly enough, Michel and Claire start to notice that something is not quite right with their newfound friend -- he recites from memory a poem Michel wrote 20 years ago, he suddenly buys them an expensive new Jeep when their old car dies, and he has a tendency to kill people who get on his nerves. This film was screened in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

La Nouvelle Eve is a bittersweet comedy about an independent woman, thirty-ish and single, and her unexpected need for the affections of a forty-ish balding family man with no interest in acquiring a mistress. Camille (Karin Viard) works as a lifeguard at an indoor swimming pool in Paris. The idea of domesticity bores her to tears; she would rather see herself having kinky sex in elevators or restrooms than carrying a baby in her arms. But something has been missing in her life, and she's absent-minded and irritable. When she trips on the street and falls, Alexis (Pierre-Loup Rajot) offers her his handkerchief. Camille is self-destructive in her obsession to possess Alexis. But Alexis is not totally indifferent, either. Acting is quite remarkable, particularly the performance of Karin Viard as a modern woman who is completely confused with her old-fashioned emotions. The film pokes fun at the bourgeois family life as well as the singles scene. La Nouvelle Eve, which was produced by Paolo Bronco, was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide