Gérard Darmon Movies

When a woman who always placed the needs of others before her own develops a fierce independent streak and decides to start taking her writing seriously, the friends and family who were always her top priority have little choice but to watch on in befuddled bemusement. Elaine Weiss (Emmanuelle Devos) is a Paris schoolteacher with a rather selfless reputation; most days, after catering to the needs of her old-fashioned husband, their young daughter, her neurotic widowed mother, and a classroom of kids, she never had so much as a minute to herself. But having neglected her own needs for so long, Elaine finally begins to wonder what life would be like if she could just live by her own rules for a while instead of constantly bending over backwards to make everyone in her life happy. When Elaine buys a laptop, takes up smoking, and begins spending late nights with her handsome young publisher, her husband (Gérard Darmon) is at first tolerant of her quest for independence. But later, when Elaine begins staying out late with her handsome young publisher, things around their once-happy household begin to grow noticeably tense. Meanwhile, Elaine's clingy, Yiddish-speaking mother seems hopelessly clueless about her daughter's artistic aspirations despite the fact that the entire family comes together weekly for their boisterous Shabbat dinners. Perhaps the only one who can truly understand Elaine'e newfound need for self-fulfillment is her later father. Though he may not be there to console her in person, he still offers comfort and guidance during Elaine's regular visits to his graveside. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

French filmmaker Eric Lartigau directs the anarchic buddy comedy Bullit and Riper, originally released as Mais qui a tue Pamela Rose? French comedic television stars Kad Merad and Olivier Barroux are both the protagonists and the screenwriters. As a parody of Hollywood cop films, the story is set somewhere in the American Midwest as fabricated by the French. After losing his regular partner, FBI agent Richard Bullit (Merad) gets assigned to the book-learned cop Riper (Barroux) to investigate the death of a stripper. American movie stereotypes abound, such as shock jock Phil Canon (Gérard Darmon) and sheriff Steve Marley (Jean-Paul Rouve). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

A handful of men who are standing in the shady side of 50 depend on one another to sort out the romantic and personal complications facing them in this comedy from France. Manu (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), Antoine (Bernard Campan), Alex (Marc Lavoine), and Jeff (Gérard Darmon) are four close friends who've known each other for years, and lately seem to be spending a lot of time helping one another with women and midlife crises. Manu, who runs a delicatessen, is single, with two ex-wives and three grown children to his credit; lately, he's been dating Juliette (Florence Thomassin), who is young and beautiful, but not especially bright. Antoine is a school teacher who, for the past 15 years, has been married to Lili (Fabienne Babe); however, when he learns that she had a brief fling with another man, he's not certain he'll ever be able to forgive her. Magazine publisher Alex constantly pledges his fidelity to his wife, Nanou (Catherine Wilkening), when in fact he's been chronically unfaithful for years, though Nanou (to her frustration) has been unable to prove it. And Jeff, Alex's business partner, has been divorced from his first wife, Françoise (Ludmila Mikael), for over a decade; lately, he's been keeping company with Elsa (Zoé Félix), a lovely and loving woman who happens to be half his age. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When diminutive soccer player Tibor (Lorant Deutsch) is placed in a prison cell with dimwitted giant Manu (Samuel Le Bihan) the duo soon begin to forge a friendship based on their mutual love of soccer. Agreeing that upon their release Manu will serve as Tibor's manager, Manu attempts to use his newfound position to reap revenge on those who wronged him in the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This is a suspense drama about Esther, Lamar, and Zed, three friends who live together. Tired of having financial problems, they decide to hit it big somehow. They visit Armand, a former 'Godfather' who has now retired. They soon realize that, in contrast to their world of easy living with few responsibilities, Armand's world belongs to the underground with its own code of behavior. Their involvement in that world brings them face to face with events they had never imagined before. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

With a few sly nods toward Hitchcock, this romantic French crime thriller follows book editor Pierre Duval down a ruinous road of illicit passion, treachery, mystery and murder. His fateful journey begins when his married lover Claire Jaillac tells him that she is going to move to the Moroccan wilds with her husband, an engineer who has been hired to oversee the construction of a dam. Not wanting to give up a good thing with no fight, Duval arranges to write her husband's biography and accompany them. Unfortunately Duval and Bernard Jaillac get on the plane, but Claire does not. They are not their long before Duval begins to suspect that he is the object of a deadly conspiracy. Despite his growing paranoia, Duval keeps quiet. On the day he finally decides to speak up, a plane lands and out steps Claire Jaillac. But she is not the Claire that Duval loved. This is an entirely different woman, a real stranger. This leaves Duval to begin trying to figure out his lover's true identity. The new Claire has other plans though and after she seduces Duval, she presents him with a dark plan that seals his fate. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This Spanish/French film presents a loving ode to a woman's breasts and the three men who love them. The fairy tale is told from the viewpoint of 9-year old Tete, who jealous of his new brother's access to his mother's breasts, implores the moon to give him a nurturing breast of his own. French cabaret performers Estrellita, the Queen of Stuttgart, and her jealous husband Maurice, come to town with their surprisingly vulgar act. When Tete sees Estrellita, he knows his wish has been granted. Trailer-park electrician Miquel is also very attracted to Estrellita's charming chest and begins serenade her. Tete gets to sample her charms after he brings her a frog. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this French romance, an escaped convict on the lam falls in love with a movie costumer. Paul Salomon is on the lam after he broke out of prison. He goes a winterbound resort town near the English Channel to retrieve a satchel full of loot. He is headed for Blighty. In the town, he stops in a clothing shop where he encounters Suzanne, another customer. Later he sees her in a restaurant and sits down at her table. He immediately tells her who he is and what he is doing. Suzanne disbelieves him and begins making up outrageous lies about her own life. She bases her "lifestory" on that of Helena the Russian violinist who is the protagonist of the film she is working on. Paul keeps telling the truth and she keeps embellishing until she finally realizes that he isn't lying. She falls for him and they passionately consummate their budding affair. Meanwhile a police chief is hot on Paul's trail. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

It is a commonplace that past actions affect our present circumstances. This ambitious movie attempts to show how truly distant actions from former lives affect the subsequent lives of the protagonists. In the story, beginning in Roman times, a wanderer (Gerard Lanvin) miraculously tames some wild bees for a group of lepers, who are killed shortly after that by Roman soldiers. In modern times, a group of gypsies enjoy their communal life, full of dancing and merriment, and have a strong affinity for horses. At the same time, a genial female con-artist (Beatrice Dalle) is putting her boyfriend on a plane. When a handsome gypsy (the wanderer in his former life) meets the con-artist (one of the lepers in her former life), it is love at first sight. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

After being burned in romance just one time too many, Quentin has become a master at amiable, superficial relationships. In fact, most people can't help but like him, as he is clearly a sensitive and thoughtful fellow, in addition to being friendly. He frequently pulls up stakes and moves to a new town when things grow too intimate for his liking. Now he has fallen in love with a single mother who makes settling down look more attractive than wandering on. However, achieving the breakthrough to real intimacy will cost him a good deal of pain. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this picaresque comedy, a Georgian boy with a Jewish stepbrother gets involved in an emigration mixup. Things are rough in present-day U.S.S.R., and when Yasha (Gerard Darmon) decides to take advantage of an open emigration visa to Israel being offered by the Russian government, and though his father and family are at first upset at the prospect of losing him, they finally accept the good sense of his decision. While accompanying his brother to the airport, younger stepbrother Merab (also Gerard Darmon) briefly holds Yasha's papers while he goes into a store to buy some things for his trip. Somehow, Merab winds up on the airplane to Vienna, minus luggage or any money. He tries to straighten things out at the Russian embassy, but gets treated as an imposter. So he flies on to Israel, where he tries the same thing. There, they think he is a KGB agent who is testing them, and once again he is sent away. With no other options, he gets involved in some shady dealings in Israel. Meanwhile, his now-desperate family is attempting to persuade the Israeli government to return this, the "wrong" boy, and have kidnapped an American tourist as a hostage. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi