Meeresfrüchte

Just plain fun. This French semi-farce lends a fresh Mediterranean breeze to the gay film genre. Sexuality issues are discussed with tongue-in-cheek simplicity. Tolerance vs. intolerance. Yet the complexity of human sexual desires is well illustrated in colorful situations and funny plot twists. I believe the French can do a movie like this one well, while Americans would simply fall into a deep trench of camp. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who plays the mother of the central family, plays a real character with depth and range of feeling, despite her periodic flights into goofy simplicity. Gilbert Melki, who plays the father, handles his layered character well, with minor camp slippage along the way. American audiences might have some discomfort with age issues in the film, but that has more to do with American ageism and Puritanism than any flaw in this film. Jean-Marc Barr puts in a good performance as the ultimate dream butch daddy, French style. Fun, lite and yet worthwhile. Old Europe still has much to teach Americans about making movies.

COTE D'AZUR is a simply charming romantic comedy. A family of four escapes for a summer vacation at a seaside villa and find that romantic adventures are the main excursion. The film's director provides a light, magical tone that allows enchantment and reality to mix effortlessly. The performances are all first rate as well, giving us a realistic family unit without sacrificing individuality. The plot is both original and surprising, taking both the viewer and the characters in unexpected directions. The balance here is superb. Even a detour into musical comedy fits neatly into the fabric of this likable film. Credits roll over a surreal song and dance that will have the viewer wishing they, too, were visiting the COTE D'AZUR.

Some sauce is going on, and gay going on. Is girly haired son Charly a? No, turns out his dad is.

"Its nice being bored on holiday" says Mother to Charly. No it isn't. You've got to be up to something. Have your skinny balding lover arriving for some shagging on the rocks; he keeps his flat cap on.

More jerking off in the shower (friend Martin) Dad is getting stiffies watching and imagining.

More jerking off in the shower (Dad now) It's a beautiful world this Cote D' Azur if you lay back, and do who or whatever you want.

Occasional "step outside the frame" song and dance routines occur to inflate light-hearted larkiness but come across as looking ludicrous.

"Silly soufflé of seaside shenanigans, sexy secrets, and jerking off in the shower" would be my strap line.

I learnt that sea violets are a soft shellfish.

I'm scratching my head why BBC4 showed this.

Not only is this a French comedy, but it is also the MOST French movie ever made. It's is French in every way. A husband and wife take their teenage son and daughter to a seaside resort on the Riviera for the summer. The mother is totally French with her unshaved armpits, pot smoking, adulterous affair, and the way she so easily and casually talks about sex with her kids. The daughter leaves the resort early on in the film after she climbs onto the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle to ride to Portugal. The son has long, thick, curly hair and is completely sexually confused when he invites his gay friend, Martin, to stay for the summer. And the dad is the most French of them all. He watches Martin masturbate in the shower, and then reunites with his gay lover from his youth. Oh, and there's singing and dancing, too. If you love French comedies, this is the definitive. If, on the other hand, masturbation, adultery, and homosexuality make you uncomfortable, this may not be the film for you.

Now THIS is what summer movies should be! As perfect as the best chocolate soufflé, light and airy on your tongue, with a taste that lingers only as long as it's in your mouth. The best part is that once consumed, you will even respect yourself in the morning. And like all good foreign films, you will suddenly find yourself forgetting that it even has subtitles! Marc (the stunningly handsome Melki) has bought his family to the gorgeous seaside villa of his childhood, inherited from one of his aunts. Understanding and vivacious wife Beatrix (Bruni-Tedeschi), typically rebellious son Charly (Torres) and headstrong daughter Laura (Seyvecou) all find themselves enjoying their sunny sojourn (or not) for various reasons; Laura conveniently takes off for the week with her hunky biker boyfriend; Charly's enjoying "hot showers" just a little too much, especially when his own buddy Martin (Collin) shows up to spend time with the family, (but most especially with Charly, who may or may not be the love of his life--or at least the summer), and Beatrix is perfectly content to make time with her hot hubby, while both are under the influence of "violets," a particular kind of mussel that seems to light an amorous fire under them both.

Ah, but what would a French family sex comedy of errors be without a few secrets? Besides the one about Charly and Martin NOT being lovers, (but just try telling his cynical dad that!), there's Beatrix's side man, Mathieu, (Bonnaffe), who must be given credit for a funny and surprisingly sexy performance as the most average-looking 'other guy' I've seen in many moons, and Luc Besson favorite Jean Marc Barr as the studly, horny 'island plumber' Didier, who has more than a vested interest in Marc and his family, adding more comic calamity to the chaos that eventually ensues.

To say more would spoil some of the sassy and silly delights that await those looking for something different but not serious, which even includes a couple of musical numbers (!).

This was showing at the One In Ten Pride Film Festival in D.C., which was an excellent venue for it. The English title for it is "Cote d'Azure," but by any name, it's still more worth your time than half the American crap that's clogging up multiplexes right this minute. So, quick! Catch this one before they remake it and stick some lameoid graduates from the Disney channel into it...or try to cast Robin Williams as the father (YIKES!)