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Review
Beginning life as a popular stage play, Un air de famille proved to be an even
greater success as a film, thanks largely to the quality of its script and some faultless
acting. It makes a distinct contrast with Cédric Klapisch’s previous
films – particularly his largely improvised 1996 hit Chacun
cherche son chat – in that it is a polished, meticulously designed work, although
the hand of the auteur is still clearly visible. The notion of family – or, more
generally, a group of disparate people living together as a family unit – is a recurring
theme in Klapisch’s work, and it is a subject the director continues to explore with a
great deal of wit and insight. Perhaps the main reason for the success of
Un air de famille is that it shows a situation that most people can identify with.
It is a simple story – a family group get together, fall out with each other, reveal their
true natures, switch allegiances, and then attempt to patch things up again – yet it is
both compelling and rewarding.
The well-honed script is the work of Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui, a writing/acting duo who have contributed to some of the most memorable French films in recent years - including Alain Resnais’ On connaît la chanson and Jaoui’s Le Goût des autres. They are also talented actors in their own right, as this film demonstrates. Their co-stars are equally worthy of praise, although it is the delightful Catherine Frot who gives most entertainment value as the seemingly tamed yet secretly rebellious housewife of a self-satisfied company man. Each of the six principal actors in the film brings depth and colour to their characters, to the extent that by the end of the film we have the impression that we have known each of them for years. Catherine Frot and Jean-Pierre Darroussin won Césars for their supporting roles in this film in 1997, whilst the film was awarded the César for the best script. © James Travers 2003 Write a review for this film...User Comments
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Director:
Cédric Klapisch
Starring: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Catherine Frot, Agnès Jaoui, Claire Maurier Synopsis
Whilst his brother Philippe is making a name for himself as a high-flying company executive,
Henri has to content himself with running the saloon bar he inherited from his father.
His sister, Betty, is a tear-away feminist who, to her mother’s chagrin, still hasn’t
settled down and started a family, despite being 30 – although she has been having a clandestine
relationship with Henri’s barman, Denis. The family come together one Friday evening
to celebrate the birthday of Philippe’s wife, Yolande – just as Henri hears the news that
his wife is leaving him. The soirée soon turns into a nightmare as the siblings
and their matriarchal mother start an interminable round of bickering, each seemingly
incapable of responding to the others’ personal crises...
Credits
 More French Comedy |
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