Steve Suissa Movies
- 2009
Inspired by director Vittorio De Sica's 1952 neorealist classic Umberto D., Francis Huster's sentimental drama stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as an aged retiree who is forced out onto the street with his dog after his relationship with a wealthy widow falls apart. A cinematic comeback for Belmondo, who previously retired from acting after suffering a major stroke, un homme et son chien tells the story of Charles, an older man who was invited by his lover to stay in the maid's room in her sprawling home. When the woman decides to marry again, however, Charles and his faithful four-legged companion are promptly shown the door. With no place to call home and no means of earning a living, Charles wanders the streets of Paris with his dog as their pair drift towards an uncertain fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Paul Belmondo, Hafsia Herzi, (more)
- 2005
A man looking for a reason to live gets more than he bargained for in this black comedy from France. Edy (François Berléand) is an insurance salesman who has fallen into a deep depression. Edy can scarcely work up the energy to do more than listen to his collection of classic jazz records (at full volume, much to his neighbor's annoyance) and drink all night, and he's made some unsuccessful attempts at suicide. However, Edy's efforts to end his own life not only don't do the job, they have a bad habit of destroying other people's property, and in one case killing an innocent bystander. Unsure of what to do, Edy calls upon his friend Louis (Philippe Noiret) for advice. Louis, who helped Edy get started in the insurance game, has some ideas of how to bring excitement back into his friend's life, but Edy becomes nervous when Louis leads him into a life of crime that gets messier with each passing day. Edy also stars Yves Verhoeven, Laurent Bateau, and Marion Cotillard. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- François Berléand, Philippe Noiret, (more)
An actor who lands the role of his life is forced into an even greater real-life acting challenge in this comedy drama from France. Maurice Kurtz (Stéphane Freiss) is an actor who is passionately in love with his wife, Perla (Bérénice Bejo), and wishes he could provide a better life for her. Maurice and his friends Simon (Lionel Abelanski), Sami (Olivier Sitruk), and Edouard (Stéphan Guérin-Tillié) work for a company that dubs American films into French when they're not looking for acting work, and when they learn that famous American filmmaker Grichenberg (Peter Coyote) is coming to Paris to shoot a Yiddish-language version of The Merchant of Venice, they all show up at a "cattle call" audition hoping to land bit parts. To his great surprise, Maurice's reading wins him the leading role of Shylock, and he quickly passes the good news along to Perla. As it happens, Perla needs some good news -- she's just been diagnosed with cancer, and her doctor tells her she's not long for the world. Maurice is comforted by the fact that his good fortune is lifting Perla's spirits, so when Grichenberg recasts him a few days later with a major American star, Maurice and his buddies devise a variety of scams to convince Perla that her husband is still making the movie that will make him famous. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stéphane Freiss, Bérénice Bejo, (more)
Teen heartthrob, Chevignon model, and action star Nicholas Cazalé headlines the riveting straight-to-video drama L'Amour Dangereux. Cazalé plays the ultimate baddie - a young rebel who not only knocks off a delivery truck with a bunch of thugs, but knocks a policeman unconscious by accident. Jumping behind the wheel of his sixteen-year-old girlfriend's (Jennifer Decker) father's station wagon, Cazalé and his paramour flee to the ocean shore, with the rollers on their tails - and make an ever-so-narrow attempt to evade capture. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cazalé
- 2003
French actor Pierre-Olivier Mornas (using his directing name of Pierre Olivier) writes and directs the romantic drama Comme si de rien n'était (Act Natural). Mornas plays Thomas, a theatrical stage director who starts dating museum guide Alix (Alice Carel). One day, Thomas overhears her talking on the phone about her failing health. While Alix doesn't realize why, Thomas decides to cast her in his next production. Act Natural won the Prix Tournage at the 2003 Avignon Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Carel, Pierre Olivier, (more)
