Jacques Bonnaffé Movies

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

Writer/director Philippe Ramos ponders the formative years of legendary Herman Melville seaman Captain Ahab in this stylized tale of adventure presented in five chapters. When Ahab's mother dies in childbirth, the infant's gruff father (Jean-Francois Stevenin) places his son in the care of his pious aunt Rose Mona Heftre). It is Rose who sparks the imagination of the young boy by teaching him to read the Bible, though when Ahab is reclaimed by his father a decade later the growing boy strives to become a hunter like his old man. Later, after Ahab warms to his father's lover Louise (Hande Kodja), the old man dies and the boy is sent back to his God-fearing aunt. Rejecting Rose and her abusive husband Henry (Philippe Katerine)'s unforginv brand of discipline and infuriated that his aunt confiscated the locket given to him by Louise, young Ahab boldly stages his own kidnapping as an ingenious escape plan. Later, after embarking on a series of youthful misadventures, Ahab is rescued by Pastor Mulligan (Carlo Brandt) after washing ashore on the Atlantic coast. In the following years Ahab learns to fish in the ocean and forms a strange fascination with a whale skeleton on a local shore. Thirty years later, widowed Nantucket laundress Anna (Dominique Blanc) discovers ailing whaler Ahab (Denis Levant) in her garden missing the better part of one leg. Now determined to seek revenge against the creature that left him unable to walk, the obsessive whaler acquires a whalebone leg replacement and sets out with faithful shipmate Starbuck (Jacques Bonnaffe) to take down the whale they call Moby Dick once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Years after her once-promising career as a professional pianist is tragically sidelined, a young musician still haunted by the past receives a second chance at making things right in director Denis Dercourt's elegant tale of shattered dreams and delicate mutual dependence. Upon performing for the examination board in order to gain entrance into the prestigious musical Conservatory, young pianist Mélanie (Julie Richalet) finds her concentration shattered when the chairwoman of the jury - herself a famous concert pianist - carelessly signs an autograph for a fan. Her endless hours of rigorous training suddenly rendered useless by the pass of a pen, Mélanie remains unable to regain her composure after the incident and subsequently gives up music altogether after failing to pass the test. Years later, Mélanie is a file clerk at a well-renowned law firm whose skills soon catch the eye of senior partner M. Fouchécourt (Pascal Greggory). Impressed by her solid work ethic and unwavering dependability, Fouchécourt hires Mélanie as a live-in nanny whose duty it will be to watch over his son during an extended business trip. Upon arriving at Fouchécourt's lavish countryside mansion, Mélanie makes the acquaintance of Mme. Fouchécourt (Catherine Frot) - the very same pianist whose thoughtless action sent Mélanie's life into an irreversible downward spiral. It seems that now the tables have turned, and Mme. Fouchécourt herself has lost the confidence to perform. Her frazzled nerves somehow calmed by the presence of the quiet new helper, Mme. Fouchécourt implores Mélanie to sit in on her recitals and become her personal page turner as she attempts to overcome her debilitating fear of failure. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

It's Summer Rental meets Blame it on Rio when a French family heads off to the Mediterranean for a sultry summer vacation in the ensemble sex comedy Côte d'Azur, co-directed by Jacques Martineau and Olivier Ducastel (The Adventures of Felix). When the head of the clan, Marc (Gilbert Melki), decides to tote his wife, Béatrix (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi), and his teenage children Laura (Sabrina Seyvecou) and Charly (Romain Torres) off to his childhood beach home on the Riviera, a number of sexy liasons ensue. Charly -- though straight -- must contend with the come-ons of his best friend, Martin, a closeted homosexual infatuated with him for years but too shy to say so. Meanwhile, as Laura takes up with a young biker, Béatrix re-encounters her old boyfriend Mathieu (Jacques Bonnaffé); Marc's ex-flame pops up, too, both former lovers expressing interest in rekindling affairs. Soon, the entire vacation becomes a surfeit of hilarious erotic complications. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

When the Sea Rises... is the first film written and directed by actress Yolande Moreau (who also stars in the film) and cinematographer Gilles Porte (who also shot the film). Moreau stars as Irène, who is traveling the north of France performing her one-woman show. In the stage show, Irène plays a loud, obese, ugly (she wears a clownish mask) woman who comically confesses murder to the audience. At each performance, she pulls a random man out of the crowd and makes him her accomplice/lover in a mock robbery. One day on the road, Irène's car breaks down, and Dries (Wim Willaert) happens by on his scooter and rescues her. She gratefully gives him tickets to that night's performance. Spotting him with his friends in the audience, she pulls him up on stage, making him her "chicken" for that show. After the show, Dries and his friends invite her out for a drink. The next night, Dries shows up in the audience again, but gets thrown out when he gets into an argument with some rude latecomers. Irène catches him in her dressing room after the show, and gives him hell. But outside, she sees he's been in a fight and had his tires slashed, so she gives him a ride home. Dries is also a performer of sorts, building and operating giant costumes for parades throughout the region. Irène has a husband and child waiting for her back home, but she's caught off guard by Dries' attentions. When she leaves town, he impulsively follows, and the two fall into an unlikely romance. When the Sea Rises... was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center as part of their 2005 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

When an indistinct woman named Charlotte (Isabelle Adjani) leaves a train station in hopes of changing her life forever, she's followed by a mysterious stranger with ill intentions. After recovering a bag hidden adeptly within the women's bathroom, Charlotte re-enters the station, this time looking every inch the femme fatale, from her tailored suit to her dark glasses. When she buys a ticket to another destination, however, the man follows her onboard, determined to prevent her from starting anew. Directed by Laetitia Masson, La Repentie also features Sami Frey, Samy Naceri, Dawn Clement, Maria Schneider, and Jacques Bonnafe. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

A clown from Romania (Ticky Holgado) has more than amusing tricks for children on his mind -- he has in his possession a computer disc with information wanted by the police, several organized crime figures and the European Agency for Atomic Energy. After he's chased through Prague by a number of people who want this information for their own purposes, the clown is taken in and protected by a priest (Bruno Putzulu), who was once a clown himself in Russia. This unique crime drama, directed by Eric Besnard, offers equal parts action, philosophy and character study. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The film is based on a true story of a young actor, Robert Hugues Lambert, who was hired to play the role of aviation hero Mermoz in occupied France during WW II. But his career came to a brutal end when his homosexuality was discovered and he was sent to a Nazi camp. The Vichy government's directive to bring to screen edifying films based on national myths, such as Charlemagne or Joan of Arc, led one producer to decide to make a film about Mermoz, an airmail pioneer who perished at the height of his fame, crashing in 1936. This symbolic figure was also an activist in an extreme rightwing party, the vice-president of a movement known as 'The Crosses of Fire.' Lambert, a relatively obscure theatre actor was hired for his physical resemblance. Another actor was hired to complete the film, but the sound crew managed to smuggle a microphone through the barbed wires to get a recording of Lambert's voice. The film had its premiere in Paris, but Lambert was shipped to Auschwitz, never to return. Based on this story, Jean Claude Grumberg wrote a fictional comedy about making a film during the Occupation. He decided that only a comedy could narrate the way most French people went about their business with their heads in the sand during the Occupation, seeking refuge in derivative comedy. The film's light tone, however, changes dramatically at the end when Lambert is taken away. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

When 12-year-old Tonin's teacher announces that he is looking for volunteers to house one of several orphan African refugees for a month during their visit to Paris, the exuberent, well-meaning youth immediately offers his own abode. His classmates cheer and he feels happy until he broaches the subject with his parents. Daniel, the boy's father is delighted by his son's humanitarianism, but still says no. Not wanting to lose face at school, Tonin decides to take the visitor anyway and just keep him hidden for the next few weeks. This family-oriented French comedy follows his efforts to keep his new African guest, Moussa, a secret. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Mathilde (Dominique Blanc) has had a number of children, but is still an attractive woman. One day her husband simply picks up and leaves without any explanation whatever. At about the same time, she is involved at an accident at her workplace which makes her strongly aware of the passage of time. Can she once more know the love of a man? She has enough suitors: Charlie, though dull, has been in love with her since she could remember; Jacques is the father of one of her children; Mano has moved to the north of France from Spain, and wants to refurbish her house for her. Without rushing, she carefully considers each man (and her absent husband) in the context of her life, what she wants from it, and what is possible. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

It is World War II, and the Nazis have taken over Poland. In this story, three citified children of Resistance fighters have taken refuge in the mountains, and they manage to hook up with three local youngsters. All six of them are being hunted by the Germans, and they are also being looked for by an adult who wants to take them to greater safety. Along the way, the children occasionally put on spontaneous theatricals. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide