Emma de Caunes Movies
Though brunette-coiffed, olive-skinned Gallic actress Emma de Caunes traces her onscreen involvement back to the late '90s, the first several years of her cinematic activity were confined to continental Europe. The ravishing de Caunes seemed poised to break through to international acclaim as a French heartthrob with serious acting chops, however, and two roles helped her transition: Hansi, a cruel and sadistic young woman who facilitates the sexual initiation of a soon-to-be-incestuous young man in Christophe Honoré's provocative Ma Mère (2004); and Zoé, the friend of the protagonist's eccentric neighbor (whom he harbors a major crush on until he falls for the neighbor herself), in Michel Gondry's wondrous fantasy The Science of Sleep (2005). In 2007, de Caunes played Sabine, a sexy French starlet and the unlikely love interest of the bumbling title character in the comic romp Mr. Bean's Holiday. Later that year, she appeared in the critically acclaimed French drama The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 2007
A civil servant gradually regresses into a fantasy world while falling for a beautiful movie star (Diane Kruger) in director Denys Arcand's (The Barbarian Invasions) dark comedy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marc Labreche, Diane Kruger, (more)
- 2007
- PG13
- Add The Diving Bell and the Butterfly to Queue Add The Diving Bell and the Butterfly to top of Queue
The astonishing true-life story of Jean-Dominic Bauby -- a man who held the world in his palm, lost everything to sudden paralysis at 43 years old, and somehow found the strength to rebound -- first touched the world in Bauby's best-selling autobiography The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (aka La Scaphandre et la Papillon), then in Jean-Jacques Beineix's half-hour 1997 documentary of Bauby at work, released under the same title, and, ten years after that, in this Cannes-selected docudrama, helmed by Julian Schnabel (Basquiat) and adapted from the memoir by Ronald Harwood (Cromwell). The Schnabel/Harwood picture follows Bauby's story to the letter -- his instantaneous descent from a wealthy and congenial playboy and the editor of French Elle, to a bed-bound, hospitalized stroke victim with an inactive brain stem that made it impossible for him to speak or move a muscle of his body. This prison, as it were, became a kind of "diving bell" for Bauby -- one with no means of escape. With the editor's mind unaffected, his only solace lay in the "butterfly" of his seemingly depthless fantasies and memories. Because of Bauby's physical restriction, he only possessed one channel for communication with the outside world: ocular activity. By moving his eyes and blinking, he not only began to interact again with the world around him, but -- astonishingly -- authored the said memoir via a code used to signify specific letters of the alphabet. In Schnabel's picture, Mathieu Amalric tackles the difficult role of Bauby; the film co-stars Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny, and Patrick Chesnais. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, (more)
Mr. Bean -- the stick-legged goofball man-child created by Rowan Atkinson on television in the early '90s, and in the 1997 feature Bean -- undertakes his second cinematic adventure in the comic romp Mr. Bean's Holiday. Growing thoroughly sick of the wet, cold, and clammy London weather, Mr. Bean (Atkinson) finds just the right tonic when he wins a trip to sunny southern France, all expenses paid, with a new digital video camera to accompany him. However, he runs headfirst into a series of outrageous and unpleasant situations, such as winding up in a French restaurant where a maître d' (Jean Rochefort) convinces him to eat bizarre varieties of seafood that he's never before encountered, and discovering that the "Very Fast Train" certainly lives up to its name. Eventually, Mr. Bean (accompanied by a Russian traveling companion whom he meets along his journey) stumbles onto the French Riviera and spoils the latest movie production of snobbish, egomaniacal filmmaker Carson Clay (Willem Dafoe) -- little realizing that his own klutzy video footage will accidentally end up in Clay's film and be screened at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. Unlike the first big-screen incarnation of Atkinson's character, Mr. Bean's Holiday adheres more closely to the formula of the original series by rendering the character almost completely mute. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rowan Atkinson, Emma de Caunes, (more)
Inventive Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry takes a surreal trip through the mind of an introverted but wildly creative man whose attempts to balance his colorful dreams with his stark reality are complicated by the arrival of a beautiful woman into his life. Shy Stéphane (Gael García Bernal) has returned to his childhood hometown to accept a new job. When the prospective employment offer fails to live up to expectations, however, Stéphane is at least comforted by the close bond he has formed with his creative-thinking neighbor Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Their blossoming romance finally awakens the sleeping confidence that the withdrawn Stéphane was previously capable of displaying only in his dreams, but Stéphane and Stéphanie find their relationship challenged when lingering insecurities prompt the smitten visionary to confront an old dilemma that can't be solved by the Science of Sleep. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, (more)
- 2005
As the soothing sounds of Lenny Green on the Radio World Broadcasting Network beam down to earth from satellites orbiting the planet, a series of short order chefs, master chefs, and harried delivery people work out their philosophies about life while savoring the flavor of their favorite dishes. Paulo is the proprietor of The Mediterraneo, and he's eager to get revenge on the man who has almost single handedly destroyed the restaurant business by launching a global trend of dining and dashing. But dispensing with the infamous Bill Dodger isn't this obsessive restaurateur's only goal in life, because before he expires Paulo plans to make a meal of himself as a means of returning his body to the natural food chain. Meanwhile, Paulo's loyal sous chef Pedro could destroy both of their careers by killing a prominent food critic who is currently choking to death on a finger bone found in his Osso Bucco (the house special, featuring a savory secret ingredient taken from Bill Dodging customers). Fiona used to have a passion for cooking, too; at least until she started working as the Short Order Chef at Ishmaels. They say at one point her culinary inventions were so delectable as to prompt orgasms, yet these days she spends most of her days dreaming of lavish musical revues in order to avoid the mundane reality of everyday existence. Ishmaels' delivery girl Catherine longs for bigger things as well, like getting her own talk show, but what she really wants out of life is a kiss from someone near and dear to her. Perhaps if the cigarillo smoking Felix can finally lure Fiona back to work at Shanks, his high profile eatery, her happiness can generate enough positive energy to make everyone's dreams come true no matter how lofty they may be. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Emma de Caunes, John Hurt, (more)
An attractive widow finds her attentions turning to her teenage son in a troubling manner in this drama from France. Pierre (Louis Garrel) is a moody 17-year-old who is spending the summer with his parents at their summer home in the Canary Islands. While Pierre isn't especially close to his father (Philippe Duclos), he enjoys a warm relationship with his mother, Hélène (Isabelle Huppert) -- almost too warm, as her affection for him subtly strains the boundaries of typical familial behavior. When Pierre's father dies unexpectedly in an auto accident, his emotional dependence on Hélène grows, while her desire for her son does the same. Though Pierre finds himself attracted to several girls his own age summering on the island, he finds it increasingly difficult to reconcile his curiosity with the growing sexual tension between mother and son. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Christian Clavier, (more)
- 2000
This European road movie sees Georges (Moussa Maaskri, who also co-wrote the film's script) quit his job at a gas station in order to travel with and protect Abdou, a teen runaway en route to the World Cup in Marseilles. During the course of their journey they accumulate a host of travel companions, including Louisa, a plucky drug dealer, and Oleg, a Russian knickknack merchant whose sanity is as questionable as his wares. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Moussa Maaskri, Emma de Caunes, (more)
- 2000
The 400 Blows meets Rear Window in this low-key French thriller directed by Olivier Jahan. Suffering because of the death of his father and the emotional distance of his mother, high-school student Eric (Jeremie Renier) kills time by obsessively spying on his neighbors. Compulsively taking notes on everything within binocular range from his bedroom window, he harasses his neighbors by sending unsigned notes and making their private affairs public. The tables turn when one of his prey, a young couple, Tom (Sami Bouajila) and Fabienne (Alexia Stresi), figure out the identity of their anonymous tormentor. Meanwhile, Eric is slowly driving his mother and stepfather crazy with his weird, insular activity, and he can't stand his sister Carol's (Natalie Richard) newfound happiness with her beau Simon (Pierre Berriau). This look into the mind of a future serial killer was screened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jérémie Renier, Aurore Clément, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Mille Bornes is a road movie about the friends of the deceased Romain who want to respect his last wishes, which were delivered in the form of a videocassette. Their ordeals involve stealing Romain's corpse from the hospital. They are well aware of the implications of this criminal act, but they feel it is necessary to ease their conscience. Romain's father agrees to go along, considering it a form of pilgrimage. Mille Bornes is not a comedy; it does not retort to pathos or clichés but tries to deliver the story with emotion. Two lesser known actors, Emma De Caunes and Bruno Solo, carry their roles with conviction, while Roberto Herlitzka shines as the father of the deceased Romain. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Emma de Caunes, Pierre Berriau, (more)
- 1998
This is the first feature-length film by Stéphane Clavier (brother of Christian Clavier, the actor and screenwriter), and it does not fare as well as his 1987 short, Torero Hallucinogène. This comedy is about a Métro worker, Jules (François Cluzet), who penned seventeen unanswered letters to France's Minister of Transportation protesting being fired. When he learns that the Minister is to appear in person at the Lyons station to dedicate a new rail line, Jules is there hoping to speak with him in person; he carries a concealed gun and when he is unable to speak to the Minister, the normally mild Jules snaps and takes an entire train car hostage. Aside from this unusual avocation, the story is replete with various odd characters, but in spite of good performances by its lead actors who try to add depth to their roles, the film is still more a miss than a hit. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- François Cluzet, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, (more)
- 1997
In this controversial French drama, Loic (Jeannick Gravelines) is a photographer who is trying to leave his working-class background behind and make a name for himself as an artist. Loic's best friend Tony (Emmanuel Nicolas) has become involved with both hard drugs and Loic's former girlfriend Virginie (Karole Rocher), while man-about-town Vincent (Nils Tavernier), who has plenty of connections in the art community, has developed a keen interest in Loic's sister Sophie (Emma de Caunes). However, Loic and Sophie are very close -- perhaps closer than a brother and sister should be -- and Loic is not comfortable with Vincent's obviously sexual interest in her. Emma de Caunes' performance in Un Frere earned her a Cesar Award (the French Oscar) as Most Promising Actress of 1997. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeannick Gravelines, Emma de Caunes, (more)
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