Scali Delpeyrat Movies
- 2009
A couple of ne'er-do-wells fight the global economic setbacks of the early 21st century with a unique brand of crime - and establish themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods - in this zany caper comedy from France. After 17 years spent working in one of Paris's most elite banks, Julien (Gerard Lanvin) believes he's only a few days from fulfilling his dream of leaving this dead-end job and opening a local bistro with his pal, the brasserie chef Etienne (Jean-Pierre Daroussin). Then both men's bids for a bank loan are rejected, and Julien's billionaire boss adamantly refuses to help them out. Seething with a desire for revenge, Julien takes advantage of his job by picking up tips on the stock market gleaned during bank luncheons, and using it to his and Etienne's financial advantage. Inevitably, Julien's neighbors get wind of the scheme and request that he invest their money, which gets Julien in way over his head - especially when the local off-track betting group takes advantage of the situation by changing their game from horsetrack betting to gambling on the stock market. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Lanvin, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, (more)
- 2009
This witty French-language comedy from director Charles Nemes concerns six employees who make the long trek from their hometown of Geugene to the City of Lights, where they are scheduled to attend a motivational seminar. Each has a unique and different motivation for attending, but most enthusiastic is Jean-Claude Convenant (Yvan Le Bolloc'h, a power salesman who glibly refers to himself as "the king of the sale." Jean-Claude's wife, it seems, recently left him, and he perceives the event as the ideal opportunity to latch onto her once again. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruno Solo
- 2008
A successful lawyer, Eloise's life would be complete if only she could find a successful relationship. She signs up for a speed dating program, and what follows is a bizarre and often funny experiment in what happens when seven men and seven women take off on a race to find a significant other. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elsa Zylberstein, Jacques Bonnaffé, (more)
- 2008
Léa Fazer's workplace-oriented romantic comedy Notre univers impitoyable (Our Pitiless World) stars Jocelyn Quivrin and Alice Taglioni as Victor and Margot. A couple deeply entrenched in the throes of love, the two also happen to work in the same law consultancy firm - and find themselves placed in an extremely difficult position when the company announces that it plans to promote one employee to legal partner. This forces the lovers to go head to head with one another in a most unwelcome competition. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Taglioni, Jocelyn Quivrin, (more)
- 2007
A movie fan finds a way to make himself a presence in the lives of his favorite actresses in this comedy from French writer-director Laetitia Colombani. Robert Lepage (Kad Merad) is a janitor who is part of the cleaning crew at the offices of the biggest talent agency in Paris. Ordinarily, this job wouldn't offer many perks, but Robert is clever enough to know what to look for while he's vacuuming or emptying waste baskets, and he's able to swipe invitations to major events and pencil himself onto guest lists for show-biz soirees. Robert's longtime girlfriend (Maria de Medeiros) doesn't think much of his double life, but he's having enough fun that he starts adding his own thoughts to paperwork at the office, and begins using his skills to boost the careers of his favorite stars -- classy veteran actress Solange Duvivier (Catherine Deneuve), sultry siren Isabelle Serena (Emmanuelle Beart) and promising starlet Violette Duval (Melanie Bernier). Thanks to Robert's meddling, Solange, Isabelle and Violette are cast together in a big-budget costume epic, but when he becomes a regular visitor to the set, the actresses begin wondering among themselves who he is and how he became such a big shot. Mes Stars Et Moi (aka My Stars) received its North American premiere at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, (more)
Writer and director Sofia Coppola puts a new spin on the life and times of one of Europe's most infamous monarchs in this lavish historical drama which fuses a contemporary sensibility with painstaking recreations of the look of the 18th century. Born to Austrian nobility, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) is only 14 years old when she's pledged to marry Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), the 15-year-old king of France, in an alliance that has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with love. Sent to France and literally stripped of her former life, Marie weds Louis, but to the consternation of the royal court, he seems either unwilling or unable to consummate the marriage while their advisors clamor for an heir to the throne. Young and more than a bit out of step with the new life that's been thrust upon her, Marie gives herself over to the pleasures of life in Versailles, knowing and caring little of the political intrigue that surrounds her. In time, Marie's trusted older brother, Joseph (Danny Huston), is brought in to coach Louis on the finer points of marital relations, and before long the couple is finally blessed with a child. However, as Marie tends to her children in the gilded cage of her palace and enjoys an affair with a Swedish nobleman, political power plays are throwing France into chaos, and the growing ranks of the poor rebel against the royals and their life of privilege. Also starring Rip Torn, Judy Davis, Steve Coogan, and Asia Argento, Marie Antoinette was given a controversial reception when it premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Juliette Binoche, Jean Reno, (more)
