Portugal, mon amour

But very amusing after all. A couple of Portuguese immigrants living and working in Paris, France for more than 30 years, she a janitor in a condominium and he a mason in a small firm, receive the information that a distant relative in Portugal has left them a fortune as heritage but with the condition that they must return to live in Portugal. This creates great stress to them since they both maintain very cordial relations with their bosses and their children are already grown-up French citizens who are not in the mood of going to Portugal a country very strange to them. Their bosses (chiefly the husband's one) try to improve their working conditions to prevent their leaving. All this story develops itself in several episodes full of humour without breaking its natural realism and the authenticity of the labour, family and social relations (with ups and downs). A funny story that gives you a happy frame of mind mixed up with a healthy sentimentality. A final word for the cast's performance both of the Portuguese (Rita Blanco, Maria Vieira and Joaquim de Almeida among others) and the French which is excellent and very convincing moreover.

Exceeded all expectations; it's a gem of a movie, especially for a Portuguese one! Nice plot, a perfect cast, a postcard location in Portugal and, most of all, a whole generation in a self-portrait of the Portuguese community in France, with some tears between many laughs…

Even so, I do believe that director Ruben Alves missed the chance to end the movie a few instants earlier, closing a comedy in the traditional drama's style, as last minutes appeals for some tears from the audience. In my opinion, the plot is too strong to begin and end as a comedy, and some work might have been done to take the opportunity to run the movie in a serious "La Vita È Bella" style, instead of the silly path for the nice feeling sensation, with Pauleta's presence being a completely non-sense – as the Brazilian's says, "Puxa Saco" (it has no translation)!

Anyway, I strongly recommend it to be seen; we only have a masterpiece like this once in a while

This movie hits a lot of right notes. It is hilarious at all the appropriate places, possesses a certain amount of charm and is neatly packaged with a cute (and convenient!) ending. Unfortunately, these things make it a bit too generic. It starts strongly but towards the end, the screenplay feels very sloppy.

The one extraordinary thing that makes the movie stand out a bit is the way in which it (very briefly) addresses the issue of hard-working, efficient & loyal employees who are nothing more than mere conveniences for their employers. The latter fail to see the working class people as human beings with feelings and usually take them for fools or doormats. And to top it all, these horrible employers are conceited enough to believe that they are very accommodating and considerate employers. Naturally, they feel that their employees are very fortunate to have found such magnanimous benefactors! However, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Overall, it is an average movie which has a lot going for it. How I wish that the screenplay was a bit better!

All the best things about French cinema, imho. No special effects. No exploding cities, buses, planes, etc. Just a wonderful story about people and their families, businesses, and dilemmas ... you know, like what America cinema used to be once upon a time before that became "boring." Everything that a movie can be and should be is in this movie. Excellent casting and wonderful performances. Solid and competent cinematography. My only unsolved mystery is why the restaurant scene near the end is at the Vasco de Gama restaurant.

The most successful movie of the year so far in Portugal and France, La Cage Dorée is a dramatic like comedy about a Portuguese family emigrated in France for 30 years. Ruben Alves, the director, is himself the son of a Portuguese couple emigrated in France, being La Cage Dorée an homage to his own parents. And what an homage! La Cage Dorée is the perfect depiction of that generation of Portuguese emigrants, the hard working, humble and low self esteemed employees that refuse to forget the simple things they love in Portugal, such as good food, beer, football and even gossip. Having a part of my family emigrated in France as well, I was astonished by how accurate and real this representation was, mixing french and Portuguese in the dialog. Plus the gap between french-Portuguese youth and this older generation is masterfully recreated, being hard to find anyone in the audience that would not connect with this movie. The characters are rich and detailed, with very good interpretations, particularly by Rita Blanco with a character that will reach you. The directing goes well with the line of modern french cinema of the likes of François Ozon, with beautiful photography, great picture plans and a very fine dose of European humor. La Cage Dorée was indeed a very positive surprise, standing as a role model for Portuguese and even french movies to come. Visit thefadingcam blog for more!