Catherine Jacob Movies

The shocking story of a young man sentenced to a brutal juvenile home comes to the screen in this drama based on an autobiographical novel by Auguste Le Breton set in the early 1930s. Yves Treguier (Emile Berling) is a 14-year-old who has run away from home and is picked up by police for vagrancy. Yves is sent to an "educational home" for orphans and juvenile felons; the home is more like a prison than anything else, and adults who oversee the youngsters in their care are more interested in discipline and hard labor than in attempting to teach their charges. Many of the boys at the home have become hardened prisoners who greet new inmates with violence or sexual abuse, but Yves is fortunate enough to share his cell with Blondeau (Guillaume Gouix), an older boy with a gentle spirit. Blondeau was simply abandoned by his wealthy mother, and has bittersweet memories of music lessons and reading poetry. While Blondeau has become resigned to his fate, Yves's spirit has not been broken, and he isn't in stir long before making plans to escape. After two attempts to run away fail, Yves is warned that a third offense will result in him being transferred to a prison for adults, but despite the long odds against him, Yves believes that he has a slim chance of escape but no chance at all if he stays on the inside. Les Hauts Murs (aka Behind The Walls) was the first theatrical feature from director Christian Faure, who previously distinguished himself working in television. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two thick-headed pals stumble through a town where nearly everyone is as dumb as they are in this manic comedy from Belgium. Jean-Claude (Jean-Luc Couchard) is a loud-mouthed, know-it-all and full time boor who is best friends with Stef (Dominique Pinon), a self-styled lady killer who would do better with the fair sex if he could work up the ambition to wake up in the morning. Stef has decided that despite his lofty ambitions, he may need some help in finding the woman of his dreams, and embracing loyalty rather than logic he turns to Jean-Claude for advice. As Jean-Claude explains his deeply flawed techniques for impressing women, he and Stef cross the paths of a handful of local eccentrics, including perpetual mugging victim Greg (Jeremie Renier), misguided school teacher Nadine (Marion Cotillard), sex crazed Natacha (Melanie Laurent), short-tempered cop Laurence (Florence Foresti), wealthy spoiled brat Fabianne (Marie Kremer), and abattoir enthusiast Claudy (Francois Damiens). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Gilles Marchand, who co-wrote the scripts for Human Resources and With a Friend Like Harry..., makes his directorial debut with Who Killed Bambi?, which he co-wrote with Vincent Dietschy. Isabelle (Sophie Quinton) is a student nurse. One night while leaving the hospital, she hears a ringing in her ear and loses her balance, passing out. When she awakens, the handsome young Dr. Philipp (Laurent Lucas of With a Friend Like Harry...) is standing over her. Amused by the young woman's seeming inability to stand on her own feet, he nicknames her "Bambi." Isabelle is not amused. Their relationship becomes adversarial when Isabelle notices that someone has been diluting the hospital's supply of general anesthetic. She suspects that the doctor is drugging female patients so that he can have sex with them. Before long, it's not just medicine, but patients who are going missing. Isabelle's boyfriend, Sami (Yasmine Belmadi), an intern, begins to think that she's having an affair with Dr. Philipp, and no one believes her accusations, not even her cousin, Véronique (Catherine Jacob), a more experienced nurse. Isabelle finds herself in danger, and her recurring fainting spells create a situation in which she may soon find herself on Dr. Philipp's operating table. Who Killed Bambi? was shown at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival and at the Walter Reade Theater in New York as part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 2004 Rendez-Vous With French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Arthur Joffe directed this French comic fantasy, in French and English dialogue, about God (voice of Pierre Arditi), invisible and spinning through Heavenly space on an asteroid, along with his sidekick angel Rene (Ticky Holgado). God observes Earthly events on His television set. After hacking out a screenplay on the Hebrew keyboard of a manual typewriter, the Deity needs a director, lands as a burning bush in back of the Hollywood sign, finds Hollywood hostile, jumps to Paris, and travels from one body to another, eventually settling on tekkie Jeanne (Helene de Fougerolles), an employee at Harper Audiovisual. Faxes in Hebrew begin arriving, and Jeanne hears voices. With God's screenplay translated to French, it finally goes up to the 127th floor for an okay by Mr. Harper himself (Tcheky Karyo). But there's a problem -- God is not very happy about Mr. Harper's alterations, as he explains, "I wrote the Bible, the best-selling book of all time! Where do they get off editing my script?" ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Ariel Zeitoun directed this French comedy depicting Ashkenazic-Sephardic rivalries in the Jewish garment district of Paris. Tunisian-Jewish businessman Alain Berrebi (Michel Boujenah) courts Ashkenazi princess Arlette Stern (Elsa Zylberstein). Her father David (Maurice Chevit) learns of the death of a rural Auvergne peasant who once hid David and his cousin Nathan (Felix Fibich) from the Nazis. Nathan is now a NYC diamond dealer on West 47th Street. David, Nathan, Arlette, and Berrebi head for the funeral in Auvergne. There they encounter the deceased peasant's son, Jean Bourdalou (Gerard Depardieu), who operates the family's restaurants in Paris. Arlette does a romantic take on Bourdalou, which sends the distraught Berrebi off to cry on the shoulder of his mother Gaby (Gina Lollobrigida). Back in Paris, Bourdalou and Berrebi make plans to open a trendy fashion restaurant in Manhattan. The title of this movie is a pun reference not only to shirt size and the central characters' wide scope of ambitions, but also to XXL, a Paris porn channel. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Three old French jamons attempt to make a comeback by working in a road-show production of Scoubidou in this hilarious French farce. Also on the tour are the flighty leading actress Carla Milo, and a murderous producer, Shapiron, who knows the show is a stinker and tries to convince Carla to feign an illness so they can collect the show's insurance money. Unfortunately, Carla would never dream of letting down her "fans" and so refuses. The three hams, meanwhile do not get along at all. Victor suffers great swings, he is either terrified of the crowd or grossly overacting while evil-tempered Georges is only in it for the money. Then there's Eddie, who thinks of himself as a Casanova and adores the notion of a little behind-the-scenes romance. When the desperate Shapiron decides to use physical force to get Carla to quit, the three has-beens rally 'round to protect her. This happens during a performance, much to the delight of the audience. Soon the show becomes a huge success and is slated to play on Broadway where the silliness intensifies because none of the actors can really speak English. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this French drama, set during the last months of the Nazi occupation of Paris, a caring grandfather disguises the truth to protect his granddaughter who worships her absent father. Phillippine is only 8-years old. She lives with her dad and her grandparents. One night her father is executed by Nazi. He apparently does not die heroically. For reasons that are later revealed, Fernand, the grandfather who runs the Paris Zoo, does not tell Phillippine the truth. Instead he constructs and elaborate lie that has her believing her father is alive and has become a Resistance hero. Mid-way through the story, Phillippine finds the truth, but is advised by her grandmother to keep pretending she believes her grandpa's stories. It is at this point, that the reason's for Fernand's deceptions become clear. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This French comedy delivers many laughs as it labors to poke fun at pregnancy from the man's viewpoint. Shrink Samuel flips out after he learns that his girlfriend Mathilde, an interpreter is pregnant. He is much older than she. Meanwhile Samuel's artist friend Marc has just split from his wife because he doesn't want children and she does. His sister Dominique is pregnant with her fourth. Dominique and her husband Georges adore pregnancy and the great sex it generates. Samuel begins to have nightmares reflecting his reluctance. Marc dates comely lasses who do not resemble his ample sister. Dominique is supportive of Mathilde. Included in the film are many examples of the trials of pregnancy including bumbling gynecologists, food cravings, and sex. In the end, Samuel reconciles his feelings and welcomes the birth of his child. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this crime comedy, Urbain (Christian Clavier) only got married because his wife blackmailed him into it: she was a tax fraud investigator. Since she's divorcing him, and will be entitled to a share of his prefabricated housing business, he's been skimming as much money as he can from it. The business will probably be bankrupt when the divorce goes through, but what does he care? He's got oodles of gold stashed in the walls of a model home mounted on a trailer. He and his beloved and similarly avaricious grandmother (Tsilla Chelton) plan to smuggle them in to Switzerland. Meanwhile, his soon-to-be ex-wife (Catherine Jacob) and his former chauffeur (Philippe Khorsand), who have been lovers for a long time, get wind of the scheme and take up the chase. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this frequently surrealistic romp, a satire on sex, politics, and the business of filmmaking, two young women get together after discovering sufficient provocations in their lives to deliberately set out to wreak havoc in the world around them. Joelle (Anouk Grinberg) has just been thrown out of a moving car by her abusive man-friend, when Camille (Charlotte Gainsbourg) encounters her. Joelle's bitter exclamation Merci la Vie, or "thank you, life" echoes something of Camille's feelings, and the two decide to go on a rampage, picking up and seducing numerous men and then doing things like destroying their cars. Eventually, they set their sights on a "higher" goal and decide to do in an entire town. Meanwhile, it becomes evident that a sinister medical researcher, Dr. Worms (Gérard Depardieu), has infected promiscuous Joelle with a sexually transmitted disease he invented for the sole purpose of becoming the man who finds its cure, which he hopes will make him beloved, famous and rich. At some point, an elaborate series of flashbacks enter the story, and in one sequence, Camille attempts to persuade her feuding parents to get back together long enough to conceive her. Reviewers noted that logic is not a strong point in this film, but they found its fast pace and bright performances vastly entertaining. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Tatie Danielle is a black comedy about a widow who is intent on ruining the lives of her great-nephew and his wife. Tsilla Chelton plays the title character, who mourns the death of her husband by tormenting everyone she meets. Eventually, she moves in with her nephew and his vain wife. Soon, her family is at war with Tatie, and takes off for Greece, leaving her in the care of Sandrine (Isabelle Nanty), an au pair who is as equally bitter as Tatie herself. At first the two don't get along, yet the two eventually become friends. However, Sandrine is invited to accompany an American student for an overnight stay at the beach, which would leave Tatie alone for a night. Angered, Tatie fires Sandrine, and while she is alone, she goes into deep depression, eventually setting the family's apartment on fire. The fire becomes a national story, with Tatie cast as a poor old lady and the family labeled as cruel and heartless villains. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

This gentle, mildly satiric French comedy follows the romantic adventures of a group of men who have gone with their children to spend the summer in their vacation homes on the Atlantic coast. Some of the men are divorced, some still married, but all are open to meeting new women while their wives and girlfriends are back in Paris. Much of the humor derives from the reversal of the usual situation - - the men are off with the children while the women are back home tied to work and career. The film is loosely structured and episodic as it simultaneously follows the stories of a number of characters. Particularly engaging in the large cast are Michel Robin as an eccentric publisher with a avidly jealous wife and Helene Vincent as a frumpy divorcee constantly on the prowl for a new mate. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi