Brice de Nice (2005)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

James Huth

Writers:

Karine Angeli (writer)
Jean Dujardin (original stage sketch)

Release Date:

30 March 2005 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A wannabe surfer parties on the French Riviera while awaiting the perfect wave.

Plot Keywords:

Nice | Surf | Riviera | Local Blockbuster | Mermaid

Cast

Jean Dujardin	...	Brice Agostini, dit Brice de Nice
Clovis Cornillac	...	Marius Lacaille, dit Marius de Fréjus
Élodie Bouchez	...	Jeanne
Bruno Salomone	...	Igor d'Hossegor
Alexandra Lamy	...	Chantal la sirène / Alice de Nice
François Chattot	...	Monsieur, le père de Brice
Mathias Mlekuz	...	Eudes, l'avocat
Patrick Ligardes	...	Jean-Marie Guitera, le banquier
Isabelle Caubère	...	Josie
Delphine Chanéac	...	Marjorie
Antoine Duléry	...	Micky, la légende
Jérémie Quaegebeur	...	Victor d'Hossegor
Didier Menin	...	Le patron du restaurant
Xavier Boiffier	...	Mario, le serveur
Alexandra Fleischer	...	Catherine, l'infirmière

Also Known As:

The Brice Man (International: English title)

Runtime:

France:98 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:6 | France:U | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Mandarin Films

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France : #109670

Movie Connections:

References The Little Mermaid (1989)

C'est Le Casse De Brice

In 1995, Jean Dujardin organized his first shows around a character he knew when he was in high school entitled Brice. The latter took himself for someone witty, clever and whose formidable verbal words helped him to maintain respect around him. Dujardin kept him in memory to create an eternal teenager and a dreamy rich kid, fond of surfing who's waiting for his hour glory.

"Brice De Nice" was one of the most profitable movies in 2005 from a commercial perspective. Artistically, well it's another story. The main problem with James Huth's effort or rather Dujardin's (the director contents himself with shooting without the single directing idea and it's the star who holds the reins) is that it has strongly the look of a stretched sketch to make a one hour and a half film. It means that a few jibes can be funny for a short time and it's a mistake to believe they that can be the only reliable supplier of laughter for a thin story. Hello weariness! To flesh out (so to speak) the whole, comes a two-bit subplot in the second half between Clovis Cornillac and Elodie Bouchez and superfluous filler (the sequence in the bank turned into a pseudo musical. By the way, the song "C'est Le Casse De Brice" was bound to be a big hit in France). Even with the adoption of a deliberately schoolboy tone, the whole doesn't take off on the crest of the waves but sinks at the bottom of the sea.

To appreciate "Brice De Nice" is like to appreciate the hilarious sitcom: "Un Gars, Une Fille": in small doses. Besides, Alexandra Lamy has a cameo in Huth's effort. As for Dujardin, he has real actor skills and proved it with his aforementioned shows and the quoted sitcom but also in cinema with "OSS 117: Le Caire Nid D'Espions" (2006), he nearly grabbed the César for French Best Actor this year with this role. But, here, it's not a film he would put on top of his CV. Anyway, teenagers or little demanding viewers will love this one.