Jean-Claude Fleury Movies
- 2002
A musical comedy set to a hip-hop beat, the feature debut from actress-turned-director Blanca Li finds a dedicated young breakdancer abandoning his comfortable life in a bid for fame in the U.S.A. Dropping out of school and leaving home to escape his overbearing mother, 18-year-old David (Benjamin Chaouat) dedicates all of his time to perfecting his moves with his dance team, the Urban Cycle Breakers. As David and his team begin gearing-up to face-off against a rival group of intimidating dancers, his dreams of finding romance with Samia (Sofia Boutella) and making it to the world dance finals in New York finally seem to be coming into focus. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blanca Li, Amanda Lear, (more)
- 2000
In this free-spirited romantic comedy, Oriane (Michele Laroque) has grown tired of her relationship with Hadrien (Vincent Perez), an architect with a habit of climbing tall buildings, a relationship precipitated by her breakup with Hadrien's best friend, who responded by attempting suicide. Looking for more variety, Oriane becomes involved with handsome Xavier (Arnaud Giovaninetti), while Hadrien is tempted away by Marie (Audrey Tatou). Hoping for a simple solution to the mess she's in, Oriane hires a sorcerer, Bodel (Miki Manojlovic), who warns her it's going to take more than one of his spells to sort out the romantic confusion. Epouse-moi received its North American premiere at the 2000 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michèle Laroque, Vincent Perez, (more)
- 1997
In this zany French comedy, a writer chooses the day he and his family are to move out into the country to quit his publishing job and take a lucrative position writing for a television sitcom. On this day, everything possible goes haywire, beginning with the early arrival of the four Romanian illegal aliens Alain hired to do the moving. He is at his old job cleaning out his desk when his wife calls with the bad news that the movers have arrived four hours early. Shortly thereafter a fight breaks out amongst the Romanians and they leave Alain high and dry. Alain then beseeches his friends to help him pack and move furniture. Unfortunately, his good buddies don't provide as much assistance as he needs. Alain's day goes from bad to worse when he is called in for an emergency story meeting with his new boss at the network. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danyboon, Emmanuelle Devos, (more)
- 1992
In this affectionate feature, an adult child of a functional family recollects his largely satisfactory childhood in Paris in the 1960s. The large apartment Pierre grew up in not only housed his parents and himself, but his mother's aged mother and his grandfather. In addition, the premises serve as offices for the two men's general medicine and acupuncture practice. The boy's grandmother is a particular favorite of his, and in one of the more moving flashbacks of the film she is shown preparing the boy to understand her impending death. Another fond reminiscence concerns the uproar the boy's household undergoes as they prepare to receive the American film star Tony Perkins into the doctors' offices for an acupuncture treatment. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, François Cluzet, (more)
- 1992
Who would have expected Brigitte to marry a prisoner with a long sentence in the first place? In this romantic action movie, that is only the first in a long line of surprising actions by the young woman. Somehow, she manages to get hooked to the young prisoner before realizing that he'll be locked up for another three or four decades. She decides that this is much too long to wait to spend time with her sweetheart and decides to learn how to fly a helicopter. Why? So she can fly in and take him out of his prison yard, which is exactly what she does, thrilling romantics all over France and seriously upsetting the authorities. This award-winning film (it's a 1991 Cannes jury-prize winner) is based on a true incident from 1986. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Béatrice Dalle, Thierry Fortineau, (more)
- 1989
The conflict in question is World War II; even though hostilities have all but ceased, the Germans and the French are not precisely reconciled. German soldier Richard Bohlinger, absent without leave, is befriended by a couple of pre-teen boys (Antoine and Julien Hubert, sons of director Jean-Louis Hubert). Despite the fact that they seem to have found a lasting peace, the adult world doesn't see things the boys' way, and Bohlinger is put to death. Apres le Guerre is the second felicitous collaboration between director Hubert and veteran character-actor Richard Bohlinger; the first was the popular Le Grand Chemin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antoine Hubert, Richard Bohringer, (more)
- 1988
Mireille (Joisane Balasko) is a female cop who leads a crusade against the neighborhood pimp in this comedy drama. She falls for the black detective who is sent to investigate charges of corruption. Their relationship is adversarial before it becomes congenial. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josiane Balasko, Isaach de Bankolé, (more)
- 1988
Claire (Marianne Basler) has her vacation go from dream to nightmare in this prison melodrama. Claire is arrested by the puritanical cop Kasta (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) after she is seen by him topless and necking with her boyfriend on a secluded beach. When Claire refuses to sign a confession, Kasta frames her for drug dealing. Clair is sent to an island prison where she contends with the usual women-in-prison problems of leering lesbians, murderers, drug addicts, and sadistic guards. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Catherine Wilkening, (more)
- 1988
Bayard (Remi Martin) is a lowly squire who joins the army of King Charles (Patrick Timsit) after he is rejected by the noblewoman Blanche de Savoie (Anne-Gisel Glass). Bellabre (Gerard Jugnot) is the army captain who trains Bayard for the proposed invasion of Naples. Bayard returns a conquering hero to win the heart of Blanche, who defies the newly crowned King Louis XII (Martin Lamotte) and the Machiavellian Scottomayor (Roland Giraud) to marry her heroic soldier. Sight gags and parodies abound in this comedy that contains some of the grim humor of Monte Python And The Holy Grail. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Jugnot, Remi Martin, (more)
- 1988
Fred Segal (Richard Anconina) is a commercial director whose marriage is headed for disaster in this light romantic comedy drama. He decides he wants to play music and takes flute lessons from the beautiful Isabelle (Anemone). The experience wakens feelings of romance in Fred he thought were long-since dead, and soon he must chose between his wife and his musical teacher. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Anconina, Anémone, (more)
- 1986
In this caper comedy, Gilbert was young once, though one would never know it to see him now. He is middle-aged, middle-class, and has an extremely boring job through which he supports his wife and child. It's a pretty odd job, though: he operates the incinerator in the basement of his bank which destroys old, soiled bank notes. That's hard, cold cash to everyone else. Then Serge, a childhood buddy, shows up, Serge was also in a rock band with Gilbert but has now become pretty much a full-time scoundrel. The nature of Gilbert's job leads the old buddy to try and ensnare Gilbert in a scheme to make off with millions of untraceable bills. Unfortunately for Serge, he just can't keep his mitts off of anything, including Gilbert's wife. When Gilbert finds out about it, this throws a big monkeywrench into their theft plans. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Jugnot, Marianne Basler, (more)
- 1986
With embarrassing dialogue and a theatrical style, this feature-length comedy is based on cartoon characters and is equally two-dimensional. After some misguided attempts at mixing with the riff-raff, the young rich heiress Paulette (Jeanne Marine) decides to start giving her money away to anyone who sounds like they really need it. Considering this to be an act of insanity, her greedy and crooked estate administrator gets her institutionalized. In retaliation, Paulette escapes with a fellow inmate, and after several misadventures (some nudity here) she finds herself nearly drowned and still no closer to regaining her estate. She is saved by some bargemen who decide to help her out -- and the adventure continues. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luis Rego, Catherine Leprince, (more)
- 1986
- R
This drama with incestual nuances features singer-songwriter turned director Serge Gainsbourg as Stan, a screenwriter who has seen much better days. He is currently agonizing over his daughter, Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Charlotte blames him for the death of her mother in an accident. Stan vents his feelings on anyone who will listen -- a gay friend, a low-life movie producer, a repulsive prostitute, and two young women his daughter's age. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte Gainsbourg, (more)
- 1984
With enough humor to make up for any minor shortcomings, this story about the bumbling Pinot (Gérard Jugnot), a Parisian patrolman with a heart of gold, works as both comedy and drama. Pinot is intent on straightening out the questionable lifestyle of Marylou (Josiane) (Fanny Bastien), a woman he meets in the line of duty. That meeting occurred when he caught her in the middle of something unacceptable, and tried to chase her down but she escaped. The next day, he comes across the fugitive Marylou again, and this time takes her into the police station (a good parody of a real police precinct). He feels sorry for this woman and tries to help her ease into a more normal life -- without knowing that she is an addict and her loser of a boyfriend deals in drugs. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Jugnot, Fanny Bastien, (more)
- 1983
A tall and gangly Victoire (Liselotte Christian) arrives in Paris looking for the ideal French lover -- and because she stands well above many of her preceding romantic partners, that is an added dimension to consider. As she finds and drops a series of possibilities -- a free-wheeling sociologist, an up-tight intellectual, and a dentist fixated on sports -- she begins to wonder if this simple quest may turn out to be an impossibility after all. Although director Annette Carducci) tends to stereotype the male characters, their characterizations fit the premises of a light comedy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liselotte Christian, Anémone, (more)
- 1981
A lightweight, sentimental story, a middle-aged French couple remember their courtship and the beginnings of their romance. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ariane Larteguy, Patrick Norbert, (more)
- 1981
- R
Set in Paris, this romance centers on a pair of lovers who wrangle over whether or not they want to marry and have children. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Adjani, Thierry Lhermitte, (more)
- 1979
In this rambling comic tale about a man and a wife, with four children, who calmly announce to the children that they want to divorce one another, it is impossible to tell who is dissatisfied with whom about what. They had seemed to be a perfect couple. Their flabbergasted children have mixed feelings, and the most difficult thing about the divorce, besides understanding why it is taking place at all, is deciding what will happen with the couple's numerous pets. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Piccoli, Lea Massari, (more)
