Roland Giraud
- 2003
Coline Serreau's 18 Ans Apres (18 Years Later) is a sequel to her 1985 film Three Men and a Cradle, which was re-made in America as Three Men and a Baby. Marie (Madeleine Besson) is now on the verge of turning 18. She decides to spend a summer vacation with her mother Sylvia. Joining them are Sylvia's husband (Ken Samuels) and his two young adult boys (Gregoire Lavollay-Porter and James Thierree). Eventually her three "dads" (André Dussollier, Michel Boujenah, and Roland Giraud) and a housekeeper show up. The differences between Americans and the French, the foibles of single parenthood, and the pitfalls of middle-aged love and sex provide the material for the film's comedy. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- André Dussollier, Michel Boujenah, (more)
- 2001
In this comedy, five French students in their early twenties decide it's time they saw a bit more of the world, so Clementine (Ludivine Sagnier), Caroline (Veronique Balme), Lionel (Pascal Reneric), Bruno (Thomas Blanchard), and Brigitte (Marie Gili-Pierre) buy cut-price rail passes and set out to visit 15 of the great cities of Europe. But it doesn't take long for their great plans to unravel, as the group's desire to see the important sights gets sidetracked by their fondness for partying and the opposite sex, and as they roll through Amsterdam, Berlin, Athens, and Bologna, they stumble into a wide variety of misadventures and meet all manner of unlikely people, from a former teacher who has come rather dramatically out of the closet to a washed-up dance-pop star. Bon Plan was the first feature film from writer and director Jerome Levy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ludivine Sagnier, Veronique Balme, (more)
- 1992
Victor Dargelas is smart but for some reason wasn't accepted at one of France's top universities, so he has taken a scholarship to begun study at a business-management school instead. He is a computer whiz, and his scholarship is based on his ability to straighten out a glitch in the school's computer systems. Meanwhile, the dean of the school has been embezzling from the school at a ferocious rate and plans on pinning the blame on the scholarship boy. Meanwhile, Victor has been making friends with his rich-boy roommate François. The two of them get wise to the schemes of the embezzler and concoct a counter-plan themselves: why not conduct a leveraged buy-out of the school and run it themselves? Beloved French actor Jean Poiret's appearance here as the criminal school director was his last before his death in March, 1992, and the film is dedicated to him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Poiret, Anthony Delon, (more)
- 1991
Stéphane is a linguist whose work in obscure and ancient languages has permitted him to become the only person who knows one of the languages. When all sorts of electronic equipment begin serving as conduits for messages in that very language, messages which are instructing him personally, to avert forthcoming disasters, he understandably has some difficulty believing that they are anything other than hallucinations. However, the mysterious voice soon proves its reality, and this otherwise ordinary academic is unwillingly embarked on a quest to save the world. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Volter, Christophe Bourseiller, (more)
- 1991
All five stories in this anthology comedy are tied together by their theme: they concern the encounters of a youthful psychiatrist (Thierry Lhermitte) with his patients, or with people so crazy they ought to be his patients. Each one is filmed by a different director. The first situation occurs when the doctor takes refuge at a country inn on a very stormy night. That very night, the inn's ancient maid, who has suffered endless abuse at their hands, kills her addled employers. Not only that, but she insists that the young doctor keep her company. In another scene, an honest television game show has produced a winner whom everybody dislikes: he is a brilliant performer, but he is an obnoxious racist besides. Every attempt to trip him up and get him off the show fails, and the increasingly agitated host eventually has a mental breakdown. The bigger segments are tied together by scenes taking place in the psychiatrist's waiting rooms. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, (more)
- 1989
- R
Directed by Philip Sebton, Mister Frost chronicles the life of serial killer Mr. Frost (Jeff Goldblum), who, after stashing 125 tortured corpses in and around his property, is caught by a British detective (Alan Bates) and brought to a mental institution. Strange things begin to happen immediately after his arrival--the egotistical Dr. Reynhardt (Roland Giraud) suddenly loses confidence, an angelic young boy goes insane, and people see images of Satanic eyes in their rear-view mirrors. Meanwhile, the only person Frost (Goldblum) will speak to is psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Day (Kathy Baker), who questions why the police could not find any official records of his existence. He tells her that he is, in fact, none other than Satan himself. According to an angry Frost, the world has tossed aside the notion of pure evil, opting instead to use psychological explanations to aid them in understanding why terrible things happen to good people. Frost's mission on earth is to remind man that the devil does exist, and is still bargaining for immortal souls. He believes if he can convince a psychiatrist (Baker), to murder him because she believes he is the devil, it will not only help his cause, but act as a resounding personal victory. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Alan Bates, (more)
- 1989
When Corentin (Roland Giraud) marries a young woman, he is unable to consummate the marriage in this costumed comedy. He is threatened under church law with seizure of his property and annulment of the marriage unless he can consummate before the eyes of a prying public tribunal. The film is based on a true story from 17th-century France. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Muriel Brener, (more)
- 1988
In this light French comedy, Marie and Jerome (Marlene Jobert) and Patrick Chesnais) are a middle aged couple desperate to have a child. They have tried to deal with the official adoption agencies, but the bureaucracies are so hidebound that they'll likely reach their dotage before a child becomes available. Next they try to persuade a pregnant teen to give up her baby, but that doesn't work either. Marie and Jerome are left to resort to more desperate measures. Various well-known French funnymen have cameos, including Romain Bouteille and Christian Clavier. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlène Jobert, Patrick Chesnais, (more)
- 1988
The recolonization of Africa, this time by the very blacks who had to flee it as exiles during the time of the original French occupation, is the theme of this political comedy. Adiza, who has been living well in France, has decided that she will return and buy the plantation she and her compatriots were expelled from, and enlists some unlikely helpers to bring them back into the country and enact their plot. Meanwhile, these "local" blacks are unwittingly accepted by the other landowners as more cheap labor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Jean Carmet, (more)
- 1988
Young Pierre Marie (Michel Morin) and his school chums find a German deserter in this World War II comedy. He allows the soldier to stay in the family basement until the end of the war. With the arrival of the Allied troops, Pierre becomes a hero when he marches out the German at the point of a machine gun. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Michel Morin, (more)
- 1988
Bayard (Remi Martin) is a lowly squire who joins the army of King Charles (Patrick Timsit) after he is rejected by the noblewoman Blanche de Savoie (Anne-Gisel Glass). Bellabre (Gerard Jugnot) is the army captain who trains Bayard for the proposed invasion of Naples. Bayard returns a conquering hero to win the heart of Blanche, who defies the newly crowned King Louis XII (Martin Lamotte) and the Machiavellian Scottomayor (Roland Giraud) to marry her heroic soldier. Sight gags and parodies abound in this comedy that contains some of the grim humor of Monte Python And The Holy Grail. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Jugnot, Victoria Abril, (more)
- 1987
Sam (Roland Giraud) enjoys his romantic rendezvous with his ex-wife Vanessa (Fanny Cortencon) and others in this routine sex farce. He lives with up-and-coming actress Elodie (Fiona Gelin), but quickly falls for pretty female physician Joanna (Marianne Basler). Sam soon is globe-trotting after the doctor who storms his dreams. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Fanny Cottençon, (more)
- 1987
Advertising executive Gerard Floque (Roland Giraud) has the worst day of his life in this routine comedy. He comes home after losing his job to find his daughter arrested on drug charges and his wife Cecile (Clementine Celaire) in bed with a famous television personality (Gerard Rinaldi). Gerard finds romantic solace in the arms of his former secretary Martine (Mary-Anne Chazel). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Marie-Anne Chazel, (more)
- 1987
French pop singer Michel Sardou plays detective Thomas "Cross" Crosky in this uneven thriller. When Cross's ex-wife and daughter are kidnapped, he hires notorious hit man Eli Cantor (Roland Giraud) to help carry out his plan of vengeance. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Patrick Bauchau, (more)
- 1986
With embarrassing dialogue and a theatrical style, this feature-length comedy is based on cartoon characters and is equally two-dimensional. After some misguided attempts at mixing with the riff-raff, the young rich heiress Paulette (Jeanne Marine) decides to start giving her money away to anyone who sounds like they really need it. Considering this to be an act of insanity, her greedy and crooked estate administrator gets her institutionalized. In retaliation, Paulette escapes with a fellow inmate, and after several misadventures (some nudity here) she finds herself nearly drowned and still no closer to regaining her estate. She is saved by some bargemen who decide to help her out -- and the adventure continues. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luis Rego, Catherine Leprince, (more)
- 1986
In this comedy-drama, a young but sterile man suddenly wants to be a father. A friend calls this the "kangaroo complex," because male kangaroos do not have pouches to carry their offspring. So Loic (Roland Giraud, just out of his starring role in Trois Hommes et une Couffin later to be remade in the U.S. as Three Men and a Baby), goes looking for a solution to his "complex." He cannot have children himself because of a bad case of the mumps when he was in his mid-20s. That does not leave many options open to him until he accidentally comes across his old girlfriend with her 6-year-old son and notes that the little boy looks a lot like him. It does not take much to convince him that the boy is his own but once having reached that conclusion, the rest of his plan for new-found fatherhood is loaded with pitfalls. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Clémentine Célarié, (more)
- 1985
In this amusing, entertaining tale of three men and the two dominant women in their lives, a potpourri of individual frustrations first appear to have easy answers, and then they don't. Gaston (Guy Marchand has been married to Madeleine (Marie-Christine Barrault) for twenty years, and though they are a normal couple, both have an underlying, unexpressed interest in a non-monogamous life. Gaston's older brother Pierre (Jean-Marc Thibault) is married to a sensual, younger woman, Yvette (Annie Jouzier), and he is driven crazy with worry about her ability to stay monogamous. Finally, Gaston's friend Victor (Roland Giraud) appears to be a carefree bachelor, but in truth, he longs for monogamy. Seen from all sides, no one is really satisfied, and everyone thinks the other has it best. Nearly all of them opt for a change but soon discover that even with a change, their problems have not disappeared. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie-Christine Barrault, Guy Marchand, (more)
A trio of inept bachelors receives an unexpected lesson in the challenges of fatherhood when a young infant turns up on their doorstep in this popular, appealing French comedy. The child was unknowingly fathered by one of the roommates, but the mother, who had relationships with each man, leaves no hint as to which one is the father. Even worse, she's flown off to America, meaning the clueless Pierre, Jacques, and Michel must work together to take care of the adorable infant. As one might expect, most of the film's comedy concerns the men's reluctant adaptation to fatherhood, as they become increasingly attached to the child and compete to become the best father. The film's good-natured if familiar humor was welcomed with strong box office, numerous award nominations, and an American remake, Three Men and a Baby. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Michel Boujenah, (more)
- 1985
This is an often wilted, occasionally flat spoof of the French Revolution by Jean Yanne, France's answer to Mel Brooks. The revolution, used as a foil for politics in the 1980s, has Robespierre Roland Giraud) in love with Charlotte Corday (Mimi Coutellier) who works for Marat (Jean Yanne) and unsuccessfully tries to stab him one day. That only makes him worse, causing him to stoke up the population and establish himself as a dictator, with the assistance of the Caliph of Baghdad (Jean Poirot). It seems the Caliph is in Paris to check out the new guillotine at a trade show of implements of torture and execution. Eventually, Robespierre and Charlotte, along with Louis XVI (Michel Serrault) and Marie Antoinette (Ursula Andress) make their way to Baghdad, where life is less revolutionary. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Poiret, Michel Serrault, (more)
