Gilles Gaston-Dreyfus

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, All Movie Guide

Gladiator duo Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe re-team for this adaptation of author Peter Mayle's best-selling novel about a London-based investment banker who relocates to Provence in hopes of selling a small vineyard he has inherited from his recently deceased uncle. As a child, Max Skinner (Freddie Highmore) was taught to appreciate the finer things in life while wandering the vineyard estate of his sophisticated uncle Henry (Albert Finney). Life has a strange way or turning out how you least expect it to though, and 25 years later, Max (Russell Crowe) is now a prosperous moneyman wheeling and dealing in the cutthroat world of London business. When Max learns that Henry has recently passed away and that he has been named the sole beneficiary of his late uncle's modest estate, the keen businessman hastily arranges a flight to France in order to assess the value of the old property and get it prepped for sale. After Max arrives to find the vineyard in a crumbling state of disrepair, his troubles are further compounded by the stubbornness of gruff estate winemaker M. Duflot (Didier Bourdon) and the unexpected arrival of a determined California beauty named Christie (Abbie Cornish), who presents herself as a long-lost cousin while making a dubious claim to Henry's estate. Meanwhile, the overstressed Max reluctantly finds himself falling for local café owner and town siren Fanny (Marion Cotillard), whose formidable guard is quickly worn down by the smitten beneficiary. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Richard Dembo's third directorial effort, La Maison De Nina, concerns a group of Jewish children living in an orphanage in Paris at the end of WWII. Soon there is an influx of children at the orphanage whose parents did not survive the concentration camps. Eventually those newcomers and the orphans who already lived there are feuding over the importance of their Jewish heritage. The children must deal with their grief in a variety of ways including religion, music, and one poor child by deciding to not talk. Dembo, an Oscar winner in 1984, passed away while the film was in post-production. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Alex (Albert Dupontel of Irreversible) is depressed. His teenage son has left the nest, and Alex seems to be losing his connection to his wife, Claire (Marianne Denicourt). Resisting Claire’s efforts to reinvigorate their social life, he withdraws into himself. She complains to her friends about his apathy. “Lethargy is the easiest way of controlling us,” Claire tells her friends. One drunken night, Alex makes a decision that will change his life; while surfing porn sites on the internet, he purchases a sex doll. When the life-sized (and lifelike) woman is delivered to his door, he immediately tries to return it. He’s told by the American company that sells the doll that “all purchases are final.” At first, he’s ashamed, and tries to dispose of his custom-made, molded silicone dream girl. But when he learns that Claire is having an affair, and wants to “take a break,” Alex changes his attitude, and has a night of passion with the doll, newly christened Monique. Soon, he finds himself dedicating himself to her. He turns his son’s old room into a silky boudoir, purchases expensive lingerie, and starts taking care of his appearance and the condition of his house. As his friends struggle to understand what’s happened to Alex, his newfound passion begins to have a surprising effect on their lives, too. Monique marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Valerie Guignabodet. The film was shown at Lincoln Center in New York as part of their 2003 Rendezvous with French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

The Double Life of Véronique is the story of two young women who are -- in some mysterious and irresolvable way -- the same woman leading two different yet interconnected lives. Those familiar with Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's later "Three Colors" trilogy of Blue, White, and Red will recognize his fascination with accidental happenings and chance encounters, as well as Irène Jacob (from Red) whose performance as both Veronika and Veronique won the 1991 Cannes Film Festival award for best actress. Veronika and Véronique are born on the same day in 1966, one in Poland, the other in France. They grow up separately, unaware of each other's existence, but with the vague and rarely expressed feeling that they are "not alone." The story begins in Poland, where Veronika (like Véronique) is a talented vocalist and music student who wins a prestigious singing competition and is given the chance to perform with a local symphony. On the night of the concert, while singing a duet onstage, Veronika loses consciousness and dies. Véronique is emotionally wounded by the loss of her double and decides to end her singing career. The film charts the effect of Veronika's death on Véronique and on her dispassionate and unsatisfying relationships with men, especially her father. She is led to puppeteer and children's book author Alexandre Fabbri (Philippe Volter), whose puppet shows and stories are dramatic variants on her own mysterious problem. While looking through photographs of Véronique's trip to Poland, Fabbri discovers a picture of Veronika walking through a student demonstration in Kracow. He shows the picture to Véronique, who intuits the significance of Veronika's perfect likeness to herself. ~ Anthony Reed, All Movie Guide

Fred Segal (Richard Anconina) is a commercial director whose marriage is headed for disaster in this light romantic comedy drama. He decides he wants to play music and takes flute lessons from the beautiful Isabelle (Anemone). The experience wakens feelings of romance in Fred he thought were long-since dead, and soon he must chose between his wife and his musical teacher. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This French historical drama is a retelling of the story of St. Bernadette, the young 19th-century girl who was ostracized and persecuted after she saw a vision of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. Though she became a popular folk figure, the local politicians attempt to commit her to an asylum. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Based on the prize-winning novel by Elvire Mural, the French Escalier C (Staircase C) stars Robin Renucci as a cynical, spiteful art critic. The critic learns the error of his ways through the catharsis of disturbing life experiences. Though many of his friends and neighbors try to crack the shell he has built around himself, his eyes are opened to the importance of human compassion only after the suicide of his neighbor. In the original novel, the critic finds fulfillment through homosexuality; this element is removed from the film version, though the gay subtext is still very much in evidence. Escalier C was directed by Jean Tacchella, best known internationally for his earlier Cousin Cousine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide