With tight races for Lead Actor and Lead Actress, suspense ran high before the first award show to stream live on Netflix, the two-hour commercial-free 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Saturday night. “Fucks” were allowed, as Idris Elba proved at the top of the show, followed by “Beef” winner Ali Wong and many others.
There were few surprises among the motion picture winners. The big winner of the night was the riveting historical epic “Oppenheimer” (Universal), which solidified its dominance during the Oscar voting period February 22-27 before the Oscar show on ABC March 10. “Oppenheimer” took home Best Cast in a Motion Picture as well as Male Actor in a Leading Role for Cillian Murphy and Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr., whose win Oscar night seems inevitable. Murphy now takes a substantial lead after his BAFTA win against popular rival Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”). The “Oppenheimer” cast was...
There were few surprises among the motion picture winners. The big winner of the night was the riveting historical epic “Oppenheimer” (Universal), which solidified its dominance during the Oscar voting period February 22-27 before the Oscar show on ABC March 10. “Oppenheimer” took home Best Cast in a Motion Picture as well as Male Actor in a Leading Role for Cillian Murphy and Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr., whose win Oscar night seems inevitable. Murphy now takes a substantial lead after his BAFTA win against popular rival Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”). The “Oppenheimer” cast was...
- 2/25/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
As a teenager, Barbra Streisand dreamt of being an actress while sitting on her bed in Brooklyn with a pint of coffee ice cream and a movie magazine. During those days, after school she would make a break for New York’s Astor Theatre, which showed black-and-white international movies. Another time, she ducked into a showing of Guys and Dolls at the Loew’s Kings Theatre in her neighborhood.
“Everything was so beautiful up on that screen,” Streisand said in opening her acceptance speech upon receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award during Saturday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. “That make-believe world was much more pleasant than anything I was experiencing. I didn’t like reality. I wanted to be in the movies, even though I knew I didn’t look like the other women on the screen. My mother said, ‘you better learn to type,’ but I didn’t listen.
“Everything was so beautiful up on that screen,” Streisand said in opening her acceptance speech upon receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award during Saturday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. “That make-believe world was much more pleasant than anything I was experiencing. I didn’t like reality. I wanted to be in the movies, even though I knew I didn’t look like the other women on the screen. My mother said, ‘you better learn to type,’ but I didn’t listen.
- 2/25/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In a meditative and heartfelt speech, Barbra Streisand accepted the SAG Life Achievement Award on Saturday by paying tribute to the industry’s roots and extolling her abiding passion for the craft.
“For a couple of hours people could sit in a theater and escape their own troubles – what an idea! Moving pictures on a screen,” she said in remarks that followed a nearly 1-minute standing ovation as she took the stage.
“I can’t help but think back to the people who built this industry. Ironically, they were also escaping their own troubles,” she continued, in a contemplative but forceful tone. Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer and the four Warner Brothers “were all fleeing the prejudice they faced in Easter Europe, simply because of their religion. And they were dreamers, too, like all of us here tonight.
“For a couple of hours people could sit in a theater and escape their own troubles – what an idea! Moving pictures on a screen,” she said in remarks that followed a nearly 1-minute standing ovation as she took the stage.
“I can’t help but think back to the people who built this industry. Ironically, they were also escaping their own troubles,” she continued, in a contemplative but forceful tone. Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer and the four Warner Brothers “were all fleeing the prejudice they faced in Easter Europe, simply because of their religion. And they were dreamers, too, like all of us here tonight.
- 2/25/2024
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Neon is opening Origin on 130 screens and plans to expand the Ava DuVernay film, which premiered in Venice and had a excellent qualifying run in December.
Neon took global rights on Origin before its Venice premiere where it received an eight-minute standing ovation and DuVernay became the first Black American woman to have a selection there. Deadline reported the film tested well with audiences, landing a 91 total positive in the top two boxes, with an 81 definite recommend, the highest for both Neon and DuVernay. With the theatrical release, the distributor is looking to pull in the arthouse and “smarthouse” (mainstream crossover) audiences and Black audiences with targeted bookings including theaters in regional markets like Atlanta, Chicago and Baltimore. It’s a hard film to comp but it is everywhere that recent films The Color Purple and American Fiction have done well.
Origin is based on New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning...
Neon took global rights on Origin before its Venice premiere where it received an eight-minute standing ovation and DuVernay became the first Black American woman to have a selection there. Deadline reported the film tested well with audiences, landing a 91 total positive in the top two boxes, with an 81 definite recommend, the highest for both Neon and DuVernay. With the theatrical release, the distributor is looking to pull in the arthouse and “smarthouse” (mainstream crossover) audiences and Black audiences with targeted bookings including theaters in regional markets like Atlanta, Chicago and Baltimore. It’s a hard film to comp but it is everywhere that recent films The Color Purple and American Fiction have done well.
Origin is based on New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning...
- 1/19/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
And so the “life-changing cab ride” sub-genre expands with Driving Madeleine, directed by Christian Carion and starring Line Renaud and Dany Boon. One likes to imagine this new film exists in the same universe as all of the rest. Somewhere in Atlanta, Morgan Freeman drives Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy) and gets a handle on prejudice. Meanwhile, Winona Ryder and Gene Rowlands (Night on Earth) have reunited in Los Angeles. Elsewhere in the City of Angels, Tom Cruise has just stepped into Jamie Foxx’s car (Collateral). Finally, in North Carolina, Souléymane Sy Savané and Red West (Goodbye Solo) carry on a gentle conversation.
Carion often trades in sentimentality (see his Joyeux Noël), and Driving Madeleine is as sentimental as it gets. Cab driver Charles (Boon) is in a bad situation. His marriage is strained, he has debts he cannot pay, and he’s one traffic stop away from losing his license.
Carion often trades in sentimentality (see his Joyeux Noël), and Driving Madeleine is as sentimental as it gets. Cab driver Charles (Boon) is in a bad situation. His marriage is strained, he has debts he cannot pay, and he’s one traffic stop away from losing his license.
- 1/15/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Despite the somewhat misleading English title (the original name can be roughly translated as “a lovely ride”), Driving Madeleine by a French director Christian Carion, is not exactly what it seems and has some surprises stored. Carion, who is mostly known for his historical drama Joyeux Noël and thriller My Son (as well as its auto-remake), offers up a crowd-pleaser in a popular genre called “two strangers with different experiences meet and influence each other’s lives”. In this fourth collaboration between two French legends, 95-year-old goddess Line Renaud and comedy icon Dany Boon, the latter is the typical Parisian taxi driver. Meaning: his Charles is generally gloomy and is one ticket away from losing his license. He is also discontent with the state of things:...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/12/2024
- Screen Anarchy
You might hear the title, Driving Madeleine (French title: Une Belle Course), and then read the logline about a driver taxiing a 92-year old woman around Paris and instantly think “Aha! It is a French Driving Miss Daisy!” Well, having absolutely nothing to do with that 1989 Best Picture Oscar winner that so memorably starred Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, the two films do have something in common. They are both irresistibly cast with exceptional veteran stars who each grab the heart and never let go.
A selection of the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, this quintessential French film may surprise you with its sheer grit. Yes, it is a road trip where the gorgeously shot City of Lights is undeniably the third major star in it, but the story, from a screenplay by Cyril Gely and adaptation by director Christian Carion, goes places I never expected.
The set-up is simple. Charles (Dany Boon...
A selection of the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, this quintessential French film may surprise you with its sheer grit. Yes, it is a road trip where the gorgeously shot City of Lights is undeniably the third major star in it, but the story, from a screenplay by Cyril Gely and adaptation by director Christian Carion, goes places I never expected.
The set-up is simple. Charles (Dany Boon...
- 1/12/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmakers love to romanticize long drives as canvases for introspection, but cab drivers and their passengers are rarely portrayed in such a poetic light. At best, you get glaringly saccharine takes on race and class relations in films like “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Green Book.” At worst, you get Travis Bickle.
So when gruff French cabbie Charles (Dany Boon) hits the streets of Paris each morning, it’s fair to say that he’s not expecting to complete an entire road trip movie before he clocks out. When he pulls up to Madeleine Keller’s (Line Renaud) suburban alcove to drive her to her new nursing home, he’s just trying to help another paying customer run another errand before getting on with his life. What he fails to consider is that, for a 92-year-old, a simple drive across town can turn into an emotional odyssey filled with enough peaks...
So when gruff French cabbie Charles (Dany Boon) hits the streets of Paris each morning, it’s fair to say that he’s not expecting to complete an entire road trip movie before he clocks out. When he pulls up to Madeleine Keller’s (Line Renaud) suburban alcove to drive her to her new nursing home, he’s just trying to help another paying customer run another errand before getting on with his life. What he fails to consider is that, for a 92-year-old, a simple drive across town can turn into an emotional odyssey filled with enough peaks...
- 1/12/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Kicking off the new year, NYC’s Quad Cinema will present a retrospective of French filmmaker Christian Carion in anticipation of his latest feature Driving Madeleine, with the director in person. At the Wheel: The Films of Christian Carion, taking place January 8-11, includes his Oscar-nominated 2005 WWI drama Joyeux Noël, starring Diane Kruger and Guillaume Canet, on 35mm; his Ennio Morricone-scored 2015 WWII drama Come What May; his 2017 thriller My Son, a reunion with Canet also starring Mélanie Laurent; his own remake of My Son, starring James McAvoy and Claire Foy, from 2021; plus his personal pick of Steven Spielberg’s first feature Duel; along with a sneak preview of his latest film.
His latest film, which follows a nonagenarian (French national treasure Line Renaud) on a cab ride through Paris and down memory lane, driven by a tightlipped cabbie (Dany Boon), will have the sneak peak on January 11 ahead of...
His latest film, which follows a nonagenarian (French national treasure Line Renaud) on a cab ride through Paris and down memory lane, driven by a tightlipped cabbie (Dany Boon), will have the sneak peak on January 11 ahead of...
- 12/27/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Christian Carion, centre, on the set of Driving Madeleine with Line Renaud and Dany Boon. Carion: 'Because of the pandemic, we had to imagine another way of shooting, in the studio. We did it for Line, because when we shot she was 93, so she was very precious' Photo: Courtesy of the French Film Festival UK/Jean-Claude Lother Driving Madeleine sees a taxi journey across Paris also becomes a trip back in time as 92-year-old Madeleine (Line Renaud) heads from her house to a carehome, telling forthysomething cabbie Charles (Dany Boon) about her life along the way. What starts with a honey-glowed flashback to a honey-tasting kiss from an American GI becomes a lot less nostalgic and warm as her reminiscences continue. This means the film, although often moving, also has a surprising robustness concerning women’s rights that stops it slipping into sentimentality.
When I catch up with the twinkly...
When I catch up with the twinkly...
- 11/23/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A cab ride takes us across Paris and into the past in Christian Carion’s moving drama that will, by journey’s end, have motored its way to your heart and, most likely, your tearducts.
Charles (Dany Boon) is a stressed-out cabbie who is two points away from losing his licence when he is offered a bumper fare to drive a passenger from one side of the city to the other. His pick-up is Madeleine (veteran star Line Renaud) and the lingering glance Carion shows her giving her house is enough for us to know that this is a one-way trip. Madeleine is 92 and enjoyably curmudgeonly as she gets into Charles’ cab, but it’s not long before she’s regaling him with the tale of how she met the American GI who, through a brief liaison, became the father of her son Mathieu (played as a youngster by Hadriel Roure and then.
Charles (Dany Boon) is a stressed-out cabbie who is two points away from losing his licence when he is offered a bumper fare to drive a passenger from one side of the city to the other. His pick-up is Madeleine (veteran star Line Renaud) and the lingering glance Carion shows her giving her house is enough for us to know that this is a one-way trip. Madeleine is 92 and enjoyably curmudgeonly as she gets into Charles’ cab, but it’s not long before she’s regaling him with the tale of how she met the American GI who, through a brief liaison, became the father of her son Mathieu (played as a youngster by Hadriel Roure and then.
- 11/22/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Line Renaud and Dany Boon give low-key, sincere performances as they reunite for an eventful cab ride through Paris
A fourth collaboration between French funnyman Dany Boon and one-time music-hall sensation Line Renaud (who played his mother in 2008 Euro-hit Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis), this two-hander has a strong conceit: Madeleine (Renaud) relives her life in the backseat of the cab driving her through Paris to a nursing home, with troubled chauffeur Charles (Boon) as her confessor. The film’s gaze is fixed in the rear-view mirror far more than the Before Sunset-style dalliance it occasionally resembles, but it’s not straightforwardly nostalgic.
Madeleine’s tale starts off rose-tinted: played in flashback by Alice Isaaz, she has a wartime romance with an American soldier, which produces a son. But after her Yank beau heads back over the Atlantic, she takes up with wrong ’un Ray (Jérémie Laheurte), who resents the...
A fourth collaboration between French funnyman Dany Boon and one-time music-hall sensation Line Renaud (who played his mother in 2008 Euro-hit Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis), this two-hander has a strong conceit: Madeleine (Renaud) relives her life in the backseat of the cab driving her through Paris to a nursing home, with troubled chauffeur Charles (Boon) as her confessor. The film’s gaze is fixed in the rear-view mirror far more than the Before Sunset-style dalliance it occasionally resembles, but it’s not straightforwardly nostalgic.
Madeleine’s tale starts off rose-tinted: played in flashback by Alice Isaaz, she has a wartime romance with an American soldier, which produces a son. But after her Yank beau heads back over the Atlantic, she takes up with wrong ’un Ray (Jérémie Laheurte), who resents the...
- 11/13/2023
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Cohen Media Group will be releasing Driving Madeleine, the next movie from Oscar-nominated director Christian Carion’s (Joyeux Noel), on Jan. 12, 2024 in limited release.
Written and directed by Carion, and starring Line Renaud and Dany Boon, Driving Madeleine follows the unlikely friendship of a struggling taxi driver and an elderly passenger on a heartfelt journey through Paris. A seemingly simple taxi ride evolves into a profound meditation on the realities of the driver, whose personal life is in shambles, and his fare, an elderly woman whose warmth belies her shocking past.
The pic will play on Jan. 12 in in New York at the Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street) and in Los Angeles at Landmark Theatres Sunset (8000 Sunset Blvd.) and Landmark’s Pasadena Playhouse (673 E Colorado Blvd.) before going nationwide on Jan. 19.
Driving Madeleine had its North...
Written and directed by Carion, and starring Line Renaud and Dany Boon, Driving Madeleine follows the unlikely friendship of a struggling taxi driver and an elderly passenger on a heartfelt journey through Paris. A seemingly simple taxi ride evolves into a profound meditation on the realities of the driver, whose personal life is in shambles, and his fare, an elderly woman whose warmth belies her shocking past.
The pic will play on Jan. 12 in in New York at the Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street) and in Los Angeles at Landmark Theatres Sunset (8000 Sunset Blvd.) and Landmark’s Pasadena Playhouse (673 E Colorado Blvd.) before going nationwide on Jan. 19.
Driving Madeleine had its North...
- 11/1/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Pathé feature “Driving Madeleine” has been acquired by Parkland Entertainment for a U.K. and Ireland theatrical release, Variety can confirm.
The French-language film, which played in the official selection at TIFF last year, stars Line Renaud and Dany Boon (“Welcome to the Sticks”).
In “Driving Madeleine” Boon plays Charles, a Parisian taxi driver struggling with the stress of mounting debt and a collapsing marriage. But when he picks up 92-year-old Madeleine (Renaud), his life turns around. The nonagenarian is about to be moved into a care home but, before that, she wants to enjoy one last drive through the French capital to re-visit some of her most poignant memories. Initially, grumpy Charles doesn’t want to take the job but as he spends the day with Madeleine he is soon charmed by her warmth and joie de vivre – and shocked as she slowly reveals the incredible story of her life.
The French-language film, which played in the official selection at TIFF last year, stars Line Renaud and Dany Boon (“Welcome to the Sticks”).
In “Driving Madeleine” Boon plays Charles, a Parisian taxi driver struggling with the stress of mounting debt and a collapsing marriage. But when he picks up 92-year-old Madeleine (Renaud), his life turns around. The nonagenarian is about to be moved into a care home but, before that, she wants to enjoy one last drive through the French capital to re-visit some of her most poignant memories. Initially, grumpy Charles doesn’t want to take the job but as he spends the day with Madeleine he is soon charmed by her warmth and joie de vivre – and shocked as she slowly reveals the incredible story of her life.
- 8/10/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Beijing Basks In Festival Return
The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival.
Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for “The Punishment” and “Driving Madeleine,” respectively.
The best actor award went to Xin Baiqing for Chinese movie “The Shadowless Tower.” The film, which premiered in February in Berlin, was the numerical winner. With the best screenplay, music, cinematography and artistic contribution awards, it won a total of five prizes.
Chinese actor and director Tian Zhuangzhuang collected the best supporting actor award. Mexican, Montserrat Maranon earned the best supporting actress prize.
The ceremony wrapped up a festival at which organizers claimed to have played 1,488 films. International guests included Israel’s Nadav Lapid, Germany’s Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...
The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival.
Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for “The Punishment” and “Driving Madeleine,” respectively.
The best actor award went to Xin Baiqing for Chinese movie “The Shadowless Tower.” The film, which premiered in February in Berlin, was the numerical winner. With the best screenplay, music, cinematography and artistic contribution awards, it won a total of five prizes.
Chinese actor and director Tian Zhuangzhuang collected the best supporting actor award. Mexican, Montserrat Maranon earned the best supporting actress prize.
The ceremony wrapped up a festival at which organizers claimed to have played 1,488 films. International guests included Israel’s Nadav Lapid, Germany’s Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...
- 5/1/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Cohen Media Group has acquired U.S. domestic distribution rights to Toronto film “Driving Madeleine,” according to a report in Variety.
The French language film was directed by Christian Carion (“Joyeux Noel”) and is playing in the Official Selection at the Toronto Film Festival.
“Driving Madeleine” stars Dany Boon (“Bienvenue chez les ch’tis”) who plays Charles, a taxi driver in Paris who is struggling under mounting stress. His debts are coming due, his driver’s license is in danger of being suspended because of numerous fines, and his marriage is falling apart. He has no way of knowing his life is about to be transformed when he picks up Madeleine, a 92-year-old woman who is soon to move into a care facility. She asks Charles to make certain stops during what may be her last ride through the city. Charles grumbles but is slowly charmed by Madeleine’s warmth and...
The French language film was directed by Christian Carion (“Joyeux Noel”) and is playing in the Official Selection at the Toronto Film Festival.
“Driving Madeleine” stars Dany Boon (“Bienvenue chez les ch’tis”) who plays Charles, a taxi driver in Paris who is struggling under mounting stress. His debts are coming due, his driver’s license is in danger of being suspended because of numerous fines, and his marriage is falling apart. He has no way of knowing his life is about to be transformed when he picks up Madeleine, a 92-year-old woman who is soon to move into a care facility. She asks Charles to make certain stops during what may be her last ride through the city. Charles grumbles but is slowly charmed by Madeleine’s warmth and...
- 9/9/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Coda producer Pathé has concluded a raft of sales on its Cannes slate including for starry French drama Masquerade, Directors’ Fortnight entry Paris Memories and Penelope Cruz title L’Immensita.
Nicolas Bedos’ Out of Competition drama Masquerade (Mascarade), starring Pierre Niney, Isabelle Adjani, Francois Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos and Marine Vacth, was acquired in Europe by Koch Media (Germany and Austria), Lucky Red (Italy), Rosebud.21 (Greece), Cinemundo (Portugal), M2 Films (Poland), Paradiso Films, Bir Film (Turkey), Pathé Films Ag (Switzerland), and Sun Diamond (Spain).
Sun Diamond also picked up South and Central America, while Canada sold to MK2, Taiwan to Creative Century, and Australia/New Zealand to Madman, rounded off by Skeye who will service airlines.
The film follows Adrien, a dancer whose career was shattered by a motorcycle accident. Adrien squanders his youth in idleness until he meets Margot, who lives off scams.
Nicolas Bedos’ Out of Competition drama Masquerade (Mascarade), starring Pierre Niney, Isabelle Adjani, Francois Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos and Marine Vacth, was acquired in Europe by Koch Media (Germany and Austria), Lucky Red (Italy), Rosebud.21 (Greece), Cinemundo (Portugal), M2 Films (Poland), Paradiso Films, Bir Film (Turkey), Pathé Films Ag (Switzerland), and Sun Diamond (Spain).
Sun Diamond also picked up South and Central America, while Canada sold to MK2, Taiwan to Creative Century, and Australia/New Zealand to Madman, rounded off by Skeye who will service airlines.
The film follows Adrien, a dancer whose career was shattered by a motorcycle accident. Adrien squanders his youth in idleness until he meets Margot, who lives off scams.
- 6/1/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Underscoring the strength and scope of French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s legacy around the world, the documentary “Jean Paul Gaultier Freak And Chic,” which chronicles the making of Gaultier’s ongoing popular show in Paris, has been luring distributors in key markets.
Sold by Studiocanal and produced by Capa, the documentary has already been picked up across Asia, in Japan (Kino), South Korea (Cree Pictures), Hong-Kong (Edko) and Taiwan (Moviecloud), as well as Australia/New Zealand (Madman), Israel (Shoval), Cis & Baltics (Pioneer) and ex-yugoslavia (McF Megacom).
The documentary, directed by Yann L’Hénoret, followed Gaultier during six months as he put together his Fashion Freak Show which portrays his life and career’s milestone with clips from Madonna, Rossy de Palma, Line Renaud, Catherine Deneuve and Antoine de Caunes, among others. Produced by high-profile music producer Thierry Suc for the Folies Bergères cabaret in Paris, the show has...
Sold by Studiocanal and produced by Capa, the documentary has already been picked up across Asia, in Japan (Kino), South Korea (Cree Pictures), Hong-Kong (Edko) and Taiwan (Moviecloud), as well as Australia/New Zealand (Madman), Israel (Shoval), Cis & Baltics (Pioneer) and ex-yugoslavia (McF Megacom).
The documentary, directed by Yann L’Hénoret, followed Gaultier during six months as he put together his Fashion Freak Show which portrays his life and career’s milestone with clips from Madonna, Rossy de Palma, Line Renaud, Catherine Deneuve and Antoine de Caunes, among others. Produced by high-profile music producer Thierry Suc for the Folies Bergères cabaret in Paris, the show has...
- 1/21/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
PARIS -- It has taken director Coline Serreau 18 years to tackle a sequel to her highly successful "Three Men and a Cradle". The result of nearly two decades of reflection is a gentle, engaging comedy that wisely avoids retreading old ground.
Back in 1985 when Serreau hit the jackpot with her satirical take on fatherhood, there was a wealth of untapped comedy in the idea of three single men bringing up a baby. Eighteen years later, and the world has evolved. Audiences are no longer strangers to the role fathers play in child rearing. Eighteen years later, Jacques (Andre Dussollier), Michel (Michel Boujenah) and Pierre (Roland Giraud) are now watching from the wings as the teenage Marie Madeleine Besson) prepares to leave the nest. Her mother, Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), lives in the States and has remarried. She is spending the summer vacation in the south of France with her new American husband and his two teenage sons and invites Marie along. With Marie gone, the three men find their private lives sadly lacking and are soon on their way south.
This sequel springs no surprises. The focus of the film centers on how the three men deal with Marie as a young, independent women. And with some superb ensemble acting from Dussollier, Boujenah and Giraud, the process is both funny and poignant. Serreau hasn't missed the opportunity to revisit some of her favorite themes -- the relationship between men and women and the differences between generations. But there is no battle between the sexes or generation clash. Set against the backdrop of a scorching Provencal summer, relationships ebb and flow at a slow, almost hypnotic pace. Serreau's only dig comes at the expense of the American husband and his sons. John (Ken Samuels) is portrayed as a highly competitive, middle-aged man. The sons neatly fall under the headings "drop-dead gorgeous" for the older and "spotty geek" for the younger. Even here, the barbs are blunt, and it's difficult to take offense at such obvious cliches.
The three main actors step back into the original roles as if they have never been away. It's a rare treat to see a film where the actors have genuinely aged and matured over a period of time. Admirably supported by Besson and Line Renaud as the governess, this film cannot fail to delight.
Back in 1985 when Serreau hit the jackpot with her satirical take on fatherhood, there was a wealth of untapped comedy in the idea of three single men bringing up a baby. Eighteen years later, and the world has evolved. Audiences are no longer strangers to the role fathers play in child rearing. Eighteen years later, Jacques (Andre Dussollier), Michel (Michel Boujenah) and Pierre (Roland Giraud) are now watching from the wings as the teenage Marie Madeleine Besson) prepares to leave the nest. Her mother, Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), lives in the States and has remarried. She is spending the summer vacation in the south of France with her new American husband and his two teenage sons and invites Marie along. With Marie gone, the three men find their private lives sadly lacking and are soon on their way south.
This sequel springs no surprises. The focus of the film centers on how the three men deal with Marie as a young, independent women. And with some superb ensemble acting from Dussollier, Boujenah and Giraud, the process is both funny and poignant. Serreau hasn't missed the opportunity to revisit some of her favorite themes -- the relationship between men and women and the differences between generations. But there is no battle between the sexes or generation clash. Set against the backdrop of a scorching Provencal summer, relationships ebb and flow at a slow, almost hypnotic pace. Serreau's only dig comes at the expense of the American husband and his sons. John (Ken Samuels) is portrayed as a highly competitive, middle-aged man. The sons neatly fall under the headings "drop-dead gorgeous" for the older and "spotty geek" for the younger. Even here, the barbs are blunt, and it's difficult to take offense at such obvious cliches.
The three main actors step back into the original roles as if they have never been away. It's a rare treat to see a film where the actors have genuinely aged and matured over a period of time. Admirably supported by Besson and Line Renaud as the governess, this film cannot fail to delight.
- 2/11/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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