Je déteste les enfants des autres

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Garance Le GuillermicScreen Time: 40%Role: Sataya Age: 9 years old |
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Clémence LassalasScreen Time: 55%Role: Colombe Age: 11 years old |
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Canelle Carré-CassaigneScreen Time: 30%Role: Luna Age: 12 years old |
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Marie-Elisabeth BronnScreen Time: 45%Role: Rose Age: 7 years old |
Je déteste les enfants des autres
Photos
Directed: Anne Fassio
Country: France
Language: French
Genre: Comedy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0852970
Summary
Three couples decide to share a house in the south of France for the holidays. Not only do they have to put up with their own children, but also the offspring of their friends as well.
Movie Reviews
The French and their ensemble piecesAuthor: guy-bellinger from IMDb
« Je déteste les enfants des autres » is one of those « ensemble films »
French cinema is fond of and whose father-founder is Claude Sautet with
his iconic « Vincent, François, Paul et les autres »
The group in question here consists of Cécile, who takes a vacation in
the company of Paolo, her sensitive son, and Rose, her younger daughter
(a dreadful pain in the neck) but without her husband she can't put up
with any longer. At the beginning of the story she joins three friends
who have rented a house in Provence: Pénélope, a single woman unable to
keep a man in her life, accompanied by her offspring (Janis,her lazy
teenage son and Sataya, his half-sister) and Fred & Louise, a
self-proclaimed ideal couple with three kids: Luna, Colombe (a wily
spoilt little girl) and Ange, their newborn baby.
To complicate matters, another family turns up unexpectedly, composed
of Véro, Cécile's employer, whom she had invited to come never thinking
she would, her husband Jean-Mi, their sons Raphaël and Rémy and their
daughter Madeleine. To say nothing of the more sporadic but upsetting
presence of another of Cécile's friends, the sex bomb Sofia, as well as
of Samir, the owner of the rented house posing as the repairman.
With so many people involved how could things not go awry? And they do
go wrong, illustrating to perfection the old saying "Too many cooks
spoil the broth".
This is Anne Fassio's first feature-length film and for sure not a
masterpiece. But it is no flop either, as too many people tend to say.
First, forget the Claude Sautet reference: it is overwhelming and
Fassio never claims to play in the same league. Second, do not go and
see this film if you fancy a summer comedy, for Anne Fassio is not too
good at making the spectator laugh. Most of her gags misfire, except
maybe during the sequence of Cecile's employer's inopportune visit with
all the characters uniting their efforts to stop her from taking root.
But neither Fred's rowing lessons, nor sexpot Sofia's antics or Samir's
double game are as funny as they could be.
On the other hand, if you approach the film from a different, more
serious angle, it starts becoming interesting. The characters and their
behaviors are well enough studied, especially Fred and Louise's fake
ideal couple, whose flaws are made more and more apparent. Moreover,
the theme of children's education methods as a bone of contention
between people is examined with relevance. And Fassio is at her best by
the end of the film when tragedy insinuates itself into what seemed to
be a mere psychological comedy.
The acting is satisfactory on the whole but Elodie Bouchez stands out
as poor Cécile, bullied by some adults and certain kids to the point of
desperation.
All things considered, an imperfect movie but not so bad as usually
presented.