Pierre Jolivet Movies
Lead actor, onscreen from the '80s. ~ All Movie Guide- 2008
Four people hatch a scheme to fight corporate corruption from the inside in this thriller with comic undertones. Naterris is a powerful multi-national firm dealing in chemicals and agricultural products. When it's discovered that Naterris has been illegally dumping toxic waste into a lake in rural France, the company is hit with a class action lawsuit, and they opt to settle out of court, authorizing a $15,000 payout to each claimant. While most of the locals are happy with the settlement, four of them are convinced they've been cheated -- Melanie (Marie Gillian), an accountant; Denis (Jean-Paul Rouve), who runs a restaurant; Zak (Roschdy Zem), who raises oysters; and Kevin (Adrien Jolivet), an office worker. Certain that Naterris was eager to settle in order to avoid an investigation that could uncover further wrongdoing, the four decide to get the goods on the company by taking low-level jobs in their corporate headquarters that will give them access to their files. Part one of the scheme goes well enough as all four are hired by Naterris, but they soon find that digging up their dirty secrets isn't as easy as they thought after dealing with the head of the firm's legal team (Guilaine Londez), the top security officer (Wilifred Romoli) and their financial overseer (Scali Delpeyrat). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2007
When wealthy and divorced tech company president Lucas becomes hopelessly smitten by the beautiful artist he has hired to paint a fresco for his enormous office building, he hires a private detective to discover why such a lovely and talented woman is still single. While Roland is a seasoned private investigator who only uses the latest technology in observing his subjects, he must be especially cautious in this case since getting discovered wouldn't bode well for his powerful client. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Lindon, Sandrine Bonnaire, (more)
- 2005
A minor scooter accident turns into a comic nightmare for an aimless young man and his friends in Pierre Jolivet's Zim and Co. Victor Zimbietrovski, or Zim (Adrien Jolivet, the director's son), works hard, but not in any organized way. He plays guitar in a band, and he has a couple of odd jobs, off the books. He lives with his easygoing mother (Nathalie Richard) and he gets by. But when he accidentally sideswipes a vengeful motorist, he ends up in a great deal of trouble. He tests positive for marijuana, and because it's his second offense, there's a good possibility he'll have to do time. The judge tells Zim he might avoid jail if he can prove that he has a job. Zim manages to land a job working for a sporting goods company by telling them he has a car. Now he has ten days to produce a high-school diploma, a driver's license, and a car, or he'll probably end up in the slammer. He turns to his friends, who have problems of their own. Arthur (Yannick Nasso) has to deal with his strict father, who tells Arthur he doesn't "deserve to be French" when Arthur's kicked out of a mechanic's training program by the bigoted teacher. Cheb (Mhamed Arezki) is trying to sell the latest gadget he's invented, a cell phone locator, while Cheb's cousin Safia (Naidra Ayadi) has been fired from her waitress job for dipping into the till, and needs a new place to live. Still, the four stalwart, resourceful friends band together against an uncaring and often racist bureaucracy, determined to help Zim stay free. Zim and Co. was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center as part of their Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in 2006. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Jolivet, Naidra Ayadi, (more)
- 2003
French filmmaker Pierre Jolivet directs the offbeat comedy Filles Uniques (Sole Sisters). Upper-class attorney Carole (Sandrine Kiberlain) meets working-class Tina (Sylvie Testud), who has been arrested twice for shoplifting expensive shoes. The two women start up an unlikely friendship after Tina proves herself particularly valuable to a certain case. Carole then takes her on board for another case involving corrupt casino player Mermot (Francois Berleand) and local cop (Roschdy Zem). Filmed on-location in Paris and Annecy, Sole Sisters was screened at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandrine Kiberlain, Sylvie Testud, (more)
- 2002
As one brother (Vincent London) is proving himself as a soldier, the other (Guillaume Canet) is noting the last requests of his dying mother, a respected herbalist within the community. Though Arnaud (Canet) promises to carry on the family tradition, his plans are thwarted by a vicious band of horsemen who beat him into a three-day coma. When he wakes unable to speak or recognize his family, his wife (Melanie Doutey) sends a mercenary to find Thomas (London). Guillemette (Douty) and Thomas set off in hopes of finding a book containing the plant know-how they need in order to honor the late herbalist's wishes, but the tradition is primarily oral, and the books available on the subject are closely guarded by the clergy. Though Guillemette herself cannot read, she realizes her family's future depends on the existence of such a book. Making things even more complicated is the romance blossoming between Guillemette and Thomas, despite the shared relationship with Arnaud. This costume drama is set in southern France during the middle of the 13th century, and was directed by Pierre Jolivet.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Lindon, Guillaume Canet, (more)
Actor Guillaume Canet, best known to American audiences for his work in The Beach, makes his directorial debut with the dark comedy, Mon idole. Canet also stars in the film as Bastien, an ambitious young man working as an assistant to Philippe Letzger (Philippe Lefebvre, who co-wrote the script with Canet and Eric Naggar) the overbearing host of a raucous, exploitative Jerry Springer-like game/talk show called It's Tissue Time! in which the goal is to make the contestants cry. Bastien warms up the audience and runs errands for Letzger, in addition to coming up with helpful ideas for the network, which Letzger takes credit for. Bastien puts up with Letzger’s abuse because he wants to work with his idol, the show's impossibly suave producer, Jean-Louis Broustal (François Berléand). To Bastien’s surprise, Broustal stops ignoring him one day, and starts taking an interest in the young man’s ideas. Bastien lives with his girlfriend, Fabienne (Clotilde Courau), who’s tired of hearing about how wonderful Broustal is. And Bastien is torn when he realizes that the pretty blond he’s been admiring around the office is Broustal’s young wife, Clara (Diane Kruger). Things take a strange turn for Bastien when Broustal invites him out for a night on the town that quickly turns into a weekend at the couple’s remote country estate. Clara quickly gets Bastien alone and beds him, and Broustal doesn’t seem to mind. Broustal makes a lot of promises about Bastien’s future in television, but what does the couple want from him? As the weekend progresses, their motives seem increasingly bizarre and even sinister. Mon idole was nominated for César Awards for Best First Film and for Berléand’s performance. It was shown at Lincoln Center in New York as part of their 2003 Rendez-vous with French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- François Berléand, Guillaume Canet, (more)
- 1999
An honest man finds himself involved in an insurance fraud scheme -- but with the best of intentions -- in this French comedy. Ivan (Vincent Lindon) runs a woodworking shop founded by his grandfather. With a handful of employees and a devoted clientele, his business is doing well and Ivan takes genuine pride in its success. One day, Ivan and his employees return from lunch to discover their building is burning down. While Ivan is not happy, he's secure in the knowledge that his insurance will pay his damages and keep him afloat. Or at least that's what he thinks: it turns out that Maxime (Francois Berleand), Ivan's insurance agent, worked out a scheme where he could file policies with an insurance company retroactively and pocket the rest of the premiums. However, Maxime's partner in this scheme has taken a powder, so he comes up with an idea: Maxime, Ivan, and Sami (Roschdy Zem), who lives with Ivan's former wife, will break into the insurance company's office, tap into their computer system, and enter the policy that Ivan thought would be there all along. If this plan succeeds, Ivan can stay in business (good news for Ivan) and continue to pay alimony and child support (good news for Sami), while Maxime can avoid going to jail (good news for Maxime). If they fail, of course, they'll all go to jail, which is bad news for everyone. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Lindon, François Berléand, (more)
- 1997
Fred lives in a housing project outside of Paris with his lover Lisa and her five-year old son. When not working in a factory or being with his little family, he hangs out with his close friend and neighbor Michel. Like the other factory workers, Fred and Michel live humble lives. Unfortunately, the plant shuts down following a workers strike and all 200 workers are suddenly unemployed. Fred is thought to have had something to do with the strike. With no work, he gladly accepts Michel's offer to drive a truck to a certain locale and leave it there. Unfortunately a murder follows this event and Fred is the prime suspect. This causes the hapless fellow to go into hiding while a determined cop looks for him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clotilde Courau, François Berléand, (more)
- 1993
Elle (Isabelle Gélinas) wants to make a film about African wildlife. Adrien (Eric Métayer) is obsessed with the idea of making love to Elle in a very peculiar and theatrical imaginary bedroom. Perhaps following a principle of sympathetic magic, he arranges for a crew of eccentric friends to help create the bedroom of his dreams. If one part of his dream comes true, perhaps the other one will. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Metayer, Marc Jolivet, (more)
- 1991
Stéphane is a linguist whose work in obscure and ancient languages has permitted him to become the only person who knows one of the languages. When all sorts of electronic equipment begin serving as conduits for messages in that very language, messages which are instructing him personally, to avert forthcoming disasters, he understandably has some difficulty believing that they are anything other than hallucinations. However, the mysterious voice soon proves its reality, and this otherwise ordinary academic is unwillingly embarked on a quest to save the world. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Volter, Christophe Bourseiller, (more)
- 1990
Pascal is used to adrenaline-crazed adventures. He lost the use of his legs during one of these episodes by falling from the top of an Alpine peak. Now he uses a wheelchair to get around, but he hasn't lost his sense of adventure. At a rehabilitation center he is learning to adapt to being a paraplegic and has gotten fairly cheerful about the whole thing. When his new buddies propose that they use his special climbing skills to rob the bank next door, it seems like a good idea to him. The robbery could be considered a success, if it weren't for the fact that Pascal has gotten trapped down an elevator shaft... ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thierry Frémont, Cris Campion, (more)
- 1989
Force Majeure (Uncontrollable Circumstances) begins with a drug deal involving tourists Phillipe (Patrick Bruel) and Daniel (Francois Cluzet), and a Dutch stranger. Two years pass: the Dutchman has been arrested in an unspecified Asian country, where the penalty for drug trafficking is death. Phillipe and Daniel agree to admit that the hashish partly belongs to them, which will reduce the Dutchman's sentence, but also subject the twosome to a prison sentence themselves. Malcolm Forrest (Alan Bates), a representative of Amnesty International, does what he can to aid all three of the unfortunate young men. Force Majeure was co-written by Michele De Broca, wife of director Philippe De Broca. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Bruel, François Cluzet, (more)
- 1986
In this comedy-drama, a young but sterile man suddenly wants to be a father. A friend calls this the "kangaroo complex," because male kangaroos do not have pouches to carry their offspring. So Loic (Roland Giraud, just out of his starring role in Trois Hommes et une Couffin later to be remade in the U.S. as Three Men and a Baby), goes looking for a solution to his "complex." He cannot have children himself because of a bad case of the mumps when he was in his mid-20s. That does not leave many options open to him until he accidentally comes across his old girlfriend with her 6-year-old son and notes that the little boy looks a lot like him. It does not take much to convince him that the boy is his own but once having reached that conclusion, the rest of his plan for new-found fatherhood is loaded with pitfalls. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Giraud, Clémentine Célarié, (more)
Coming in on the heels of his internationally acclaimed first film, Le Dernier Combat, 26-year-old director Luc Besson created this tongue-in-cheek look at filmmaking and at the denizens in the tunnels of the Paris Metro -- a new kind of underground movie. Fred (Christopher Lambert) has just stolen some major documents from a birthday celebration given by the Paris elite for one of their kind, Helena (Isabelle Adjani). He takes off into the Metro just as it is shut down for the remaining few hours of predawn darkness and once in the Metro encounters several characters in the tunnels. There is a bodybuilder who works out with subway parts, a purse-snatcher, and a flower seller of dubious ethics. Inspired by the moment, Fred decides to recruit a few of the ubiquitous musicians who perform (some of the best music around) on the Metro's byways, and he creates a rock band. Through all of these encounters and activities, the police and others -- including Helena -- are after Fred for their own reasons, none of which coincide. As Fred discovers, going underground can be risky. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Adjani, Christopher Lambert, (more)
- 1985
The crimes and tragedies that tear apart one family seem overblown in the telling, yet this psychological drama about the miseries of one French policeman is compelling throughout. Jean (Pierre Arditi) is a cop and also a failed novelist who was abandoned by his father, brother, and sister after his mother died. The trio move to Paris where they set up an art scam that nets them considerable cash -- something Jean begins to figure out when he joins them for a family reunion. Little by little, he learns that his father is an expert forger, his stepmother's art gallery seems to be involved in the scam, his brother is a derelict and into drugs, his stepmother is a hooker in addition to all of this, and his sister runs an exercise gym for keeping prostitutes in shape. Things get worse -- just when everything seems bad enough, the stepmother is murdered and it is up to Jean to find the killer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Arditi, Jacques Penot, (more)
Unusual because it has no spoken dialogue, Dernier Combat effectively chronicles the fate of a handful of people after a worldwide disaster has left the planet desolate and bleak and the people physically unable to speak. A young man (Pierre Jolivet) longs for female companionship and so he puts together a serviceable plane and flies to the remains of a city where survivors live in the ruined hulks of cars -- or wherever they can. The problem is that there are very few women to be found here as well. After the young man enters the city, he comes across an older doctor who has returned to his psychiatric clinic and is barricaded there, defending the clinic against the attacks of a violent barbarian intent on further destruction. This murderous aggressor is not only after the doctor but also a women who is hiding in the clinic -- and when the young man joins up with the doctor and sees the woman, his future takes a new course. Le Dernier Combat (also known as The Last Battle) was the first feature-length film by a 24-year-old Luc Besson (The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element). The film won two major prizes at the 1983 Avoriaz Science Fiction Film Festival, and collected more than 18 prizes at other international festivals -- though it was overlooked by France's Caesars and the U.S. Academy Awards. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Jolivet, Jean Bouise, (more)
- 1968
When a boy is the victim of his over-protective mother, he leaves his home at night in search of female victims. When he meets a young girl who is a petty thief, he mistreats her and she falls in love with him. He takes the girl home, where she brings him out of his psychotic state by making love to the disturbed virginal boy in front of his horrified mother. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginette Leclerc, Michel Tureau, (more)
