Plot
Although living a comfortable life in Salon-de-Provence, a charming town in the South of France, Julie has been feeling depressed for a while...
Release Year: 2008
Rating: 7.0/10 (11,446 voted)
Director:
Dany Boon
Stars: Kad Merad, Dany Boon, Zoé Félix
Storyline Although living a comfortable life in Salon-de-Provence, a charming town in the South of France, Julie has been feeling depressed for a while. To please her, Philippe Abrams, a post office administrator, her husband, tries to obtain a transfer to a seaside town, on the French Riviera, at any cost. The trouble is that he is caught red-handed while trying to scam an inspector. Philippe is immediately banished to the distant unheard of town of Bergues, in the Far North of France. Leaving his child and wife behind, the crucified man leaves for his frightening destination, a dreadfully cold place inhabited by hard-drinking, unemployed rednecks, speaking an incomprehensible dialect called Ch'ti. Philippe soon realizes that all these ideas were nothing but prejudices and that Bergues is not synonymous with hell...
Writers: Alexandre Charlot, Dany Boon
Cast: Kad Merad
-
Philippe Abrams
Dany Boon
-
Antoine Bailleul
Zoé Félix
-
Julie Abrams
Lorenzo Ausilia-Foret
-
Raphaël Abrams
Anne Marivin
-
Annabelle Deconninck
Philippe Duquesne
-
Fabrice Canoli
Guy Lecluyse
-
Yann Vandernoout
Line Renaud
-
La maman d'Antoine
Michel Galabru
-
Le grand oncle de Julie
Stéphane Freiss
-
Jean Sabrier
Patrick Bosso
-
Le gendarme A7
Jérôme Commandeur
-
L'inspecteur Lebic
Alexandre Carrière
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Tony - l'amoureux d'Isabelle
Fred Personne
-
M. Vasseur
Frank Andrieux
-
M. Leborgne
(as Franck Andrieux)
Opening Weekend: €607,127
(Belgium)
(2 March 2008)
(28 Screens)
Gross: €4,364,353
(Belgium)
(30 March 2008)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
With 20.2 million viewers, it is the most successful French film in France. Former distinction holder was
Don't Look Now: We're Being Shot At.
User Review
Truly funny French comedy
Rating: 8/10
Of course it's not a deep film, but nor is it pretentious. It might
also not please everyone - if you don't want to have a good laugh, or
if your French is challenged, you could find it dull. But true
laugh-out-loud comedies that feel genuine and refreshing (like this
one) instead of grotesque and vulgar are few and far in between.
Moreover, and even more rare, the whole audience - me included - seemed
to be howling in laughter, not just three people making a lot of noise.
While the pun is largely based on the local "ch'ti" dialect, it is not
limited to it and humour works throughout, well timed and mastered by
the actors. The dialect itself was ably used, and the audience are
introduced to it nicely. Boon is wonderful, both touching and funny,
and Kad Merad delivers a nice performance. More than the dialect or the
actors, the region itself and its people are beautifully pictured, and
the spirit is well captured. Clichés are used for comedic purpose, and
are dispelled instead of being woven. Amateurs will also find an
incredible short appearance by Michel Galabru (my favourite part of the
film). The film never aims to be realistic, and never seems
pretentious, but the feel of Northern France is genuine.
In the end, it is a truly pleasing film: funny, true to itself, fresh
and nicely French (but not the part you are most used to seeing) is
what you should expect.
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