:
Daniel Auteuil,
Daniel Auteuil,
José Garcia,
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:
Pierre Salvadori,
Pierre Salvadori
see all cast/crew...
: 
: Paramount
: Comedies, Foreign, France
: 110 min.
: French
: English
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Recently Rented By Ptaines
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Antoine (Daniel Auteuil of The Closet), the busy manager of a fancy restaurant, cuts through a park in his rush to meet his frustrated girlfriend, Christine (Marilyne Canto), when he stumbles across Louis (José Garcia) attempting to hang himself. Antoine foils his efforts and takes the intensely phobic, despondent klutz home, much to Christine's chagrin. Lovesick Louis recalls that he's sent his "suicide note" to his elderly grandparents, so Antoine goes with him to intercept the letter. Antoine finds himself taking responsibility for Louis' life, getting him a job as a sommelier at the restaurant (despite his total lack of knowledge about wine and his nervousness around strangers) and going to visit Louis' ex-girlfriend, Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain of Alias Betty), a florist, and the cause of his heartbreak. Antoine finds that Blanche has a new boyfriend, and cunningly arranges for her to discover his infidelity. But when he offers Blanche comfort, she begins to feel drawn to him. With Antoine's encouragement, Louis gradually develops a newfound confidence, dressing better and excelling at work, all with an eye toward winning Blanche back. Antoine, meanwhile, is falling apart as he gets more involved in trying to fix Louis' life. Christine breaks up with him, and he struggles to hold it together at work. Worse yet, he finds himself increasingly attracted to Blanche, and conflicted in his allegiance to Louis. Pierre Salvadori's romantic farce Après vous... was shown at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Rendezvous With French Cinema in 2004. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
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| Funny French Rom-Com
by talltale
September 6, 2005 - 4:45 PM PDT
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7 out of 7 members found this review helpful
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Don't read any reviews of APRES VOUS; just see it, if you're a fan of quirky French comedy. If you aren't, you may well become one after viewing this winning example. Lead actors Daniel Auteuil and Sandrine Kiberlain are two of the finest French thesps currently at work. Both can handle the fluffiest comedy and darkest drama with equal ease. Here, joined by Jose Garcia, they offer perhaps the single best romantic comedy of the past decade, as close to perfection as this genre gets.
From the charming title credits (and silly, endearing song you'll be humming for weeks) to the convoluted but entertaining plot (jumping off from the "no good deed shall go unpunished" premise), everything about the movie works wonderfully, building to an absolutely lovely conclusion. Rather than saying more about the plot, I would rather suggest a post-movie exercise. When you see the film's final shot, ask yourself: do any American superstars have profiles this distinct? Nope. There was a time long ago when it appeared that mainstream America could appreciate actors in leading romantic roles who offered more than abs and pretty faces. That's long gone--and one more reason why some of us cling to foreign films for dear life.
Note: I wrote all of the above prior to the film's opening in America, where many critics treated it something close to "the shame of a nation." I'm perplexed, but will watch it again on DVD to see if I was perhaps on drugs the first time around.... |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.76)
29 Votes
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