Un air de famille (1996)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Cédric Klapisch

Writers:

Agnès Jaoui (play) &
Jean-Pierre Bacri (play) ...

Release Date:

12 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

An upper middle-class French family celebrates a birthday in a restaurant. In one evening and during one meal...

Plot Keywords:

Birthday | Tragicomedy | Alcohol | Dog | Business Executive

Awards:

8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Jean-Pierre Bacri	...	Henri
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Denis
Catherine Frot	...	Yolande
Agnès Jaoui	...	Betty
Claire Maurier	...	Madame Ménard - la mère
Wladimir Yordanoff	...	Philippe
Alain Guillo	...	Le Présentateur
Sophie Simon	...	La Mère 1967
Cédric Klapisch	...	Le Père 1967
Antoine Chappey	...	Le Voisin
Chantal Gouard	...	Une amie de la mère
Viviane Ordas	...	Une amie de la mère
Aurélie Remacle	...	Betty 1967
Nicolas Taeb	...	Henri 1967
Ludovic Taeb	...	Philippe 1967

Also Known As:

Family Resemblances (USA)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Peru:14 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Canal+

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Un petit jeu sans conséquence (2004)

Soundtrack:

Come prima

A pleasure to watch

It is always interesting to read other peoples impressions and critics of movies and when I read the Darragh O'Donoghue's above comments about the film 'Un air de famille' - he (she?) already doesn't understand the title of the film which is full of double or triple meanings - I can't help but write down my very own impressions of the film.

It is clearly visible that the script was originally written for stage by using one single location for the film. The director of the film cleverly used the simple set(it's a low budget movie after all) to invoke a lively family meeting by setting up lots of different shots. His solution was to make the camera mostly invisible by not clinging to exaggerated camera moves or positions. By doing so he gives us the possibility to concentrate on the actors and their dialog. And what a pleasure that is to do. Step by step we get more and more involved and because it's somehow clear from the beginning that this piece is not about major surprises but about the subtle plays and conflicts happening between people who know each other for a long time, one is charmingly pulled into the story.

p.s. the subtitles are clearly readable. The 'banal' dialog between the family members has exactly the right dose of innuendoes and truthfulness.

A pleasure to watch.