Etienne Chatiliez Movies
- 2007
With a conceit that suggests a contemporary, female-centered reprise of Melvin Van Peebles's offbeat Watermelon Man, the satirical fantasy Agathe Clery stars French comedienne Valerie Lemercier as the title character, a severely bigoted, obnoxious cosmetics employee. The lily-white Agathe particularly loathes blacks, which makes it that much more ironic when, on the eve of the launch of her new line of beauty products for fair complexions ("Scandinavia"), her own skin suddenly takes on a much darker tone - making her the object of scorn, derision and prejudice for dozens of others around her and effectively giving her a taste of her own medicine. The experience quickly strong-arms Agathe into a reconsideration of her warped values and standards, but also robs the downtrodden woman of her job and prized beau. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Valérie Lemercier, Anthony Kavanagh, (more)
- 2001
The director of the celebrated black comedy Tatie Danielle, Étienne Chatiliez returns to the realm of dark humor with Tanguy. When their eponymous son is born, Paul and Edith Guetz (André Dussolier and Sabine Azema) are so besotted with the new arrival that they make him the fateful promise he can live with them forever. Twenty-eight years later, with Tanguy still under their roof and showing no intention of relocating, they begin to regret their promise. Although she is proud of her son, who is both excessively smart and handsome, Edith is soon driven to distraction, and makes plans to bundle Tanguy off to Asia. When this doesn't pan out, Edith convinces Paul that they must resort to more serious measures. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sabine Azéma, André Dussollier, (more)
- 1995
Lots of people wish they could be someone else, but a French businessman decides to do something about it in this satirical comedy. Francis Bergeade (Michel Serrault) runs a factory in a small town that makes toilet seats. With his employees on strike and his wife plundering his bank account as she plans their daughter's wedding, Francis's life isn't much fun; his one real pleasure is eating and drinking well, in the company of his friend Gerard (Eddy Mitchell). One evening, Francis is watching a television show about people who've gone missing, and he sees the sad story of Dolores (Carmen Maura), a woman living on a beautiful farm in the South of France who has no idea where her husband has gone. When a picture of Dolores's husband is shown, Francis is amazed to discover that it looks just like him. He soon steps forward and poses as Dolores's husband, leaving his wife to wonder where he is. However, she doesn't seem all that worried, since before long she's having an affair with Gerard. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michel Serrault, Eddy Mitchell, (more)
- 1990
- PG13
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
- Starring:
- Tsila Chelton, Catherine Jacob, (more)
- 1988
Life is a Long Quiet River is the satirically philosophical title for this French domestic comedy. Borrowing a page from The Corsican Brothers, the film begins with a castoff mistress spitefully switching a pair of newborn babies at the maternity ward managed by her doctor lover. As a result, the daughter (Valerie Lalande) of a family of tramps and thieves is raised in a comfy bourgeois household, while the lowlife family ends up with the middle-class family's offspring (Benoit Magimel). Twelve years after the fact, the discarded mistress confesses to her misdeed. The mistress' ex-lover, doctor Daniel Gelin, tries to set things right, with hilariously disastrous consequences. Director Etie Chatiliez had received his training in French TV commercials, so it's not surprising that Life is a Long Quiet River is a string of anecdotes and punchlines. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daniel Gélin, Benoît Magimel, (more)
