Le prénom

As you sit in front of Le Prénom, you can't help but think how many similarities it shares with Carnage (Polanski, 2011): same middle class context, almost the same setting, but with that French flavour that makes everything much tastier. Vincent is about to become father for the first time, and, during a dinner at his sister's house, he's asked about the name his wife Anna and he want to give their son. This simple, lame question sets off an evening where secrets are revealed, feelings are declared and hypocrisy is unmasked.

I think the movie, built on a very strong and witty screenplay, wouldn't have worked the same if the actors hadn't been so good, with so much remarkable chemistry between them. The cast is directed as if it were a company in a theatre: everyone has to be empathic with the others, in order to make the script work.

Better to watch it in original language, with subtitles: it's worth the risk to miss some of the dialogue.

Mix of Un Air de Famille by Klapisch and Carnage by Polanski, Le Prénom is clearly divided in two parts: the first is pure comedy oriented, whereas the second is more drama focused.

The problem is that those two parts aren't homogeneous: the beginning is very good, dynamic, the dialogues fly, the humour is really present and the viewer is quickly sucked in. Unfortunately, the more the film progresses, the more the comical aspect is left aside, and the more the movie loses interest. The script goes thought bland and uninteresting passages, and we are served a dramatic aspect that isn't the most exciting one, which is disappointing in comparison to the thundering start.

A fifteen minute cut, mostly from the second part, could have also improved the overall rhythm of the movie.

Special mention to the cast who was very good and showed a great chemistry.

"What's in a Name" is a story with an amazingly simple plot...yet it works exceptionally well. The writing, acting and directing are spot on...and make this a French film well worth seeking.

The film is set almost entirely in an apartment and you can easily see that this was once a play. In this apartment, a group of friends and family get together and the evening goes normally enough...to a point. However, when one of the friends makes a stupid joke, the climate in the room becomes quite chilly. Then, soon after, folks start saying things they've never said before...and the room practically becomes the next ice age! While some will undoubtedly see this as a comedy, instead I see it as a very well constructed drama...one that really sucked me into the story. Well made and unique.

"Le Prenom" is about a group of five middle-aged friends who are having a Moroccan dinner get-together one night. The hosts are Pierre (a literature professor) and his dutiful wife Elisabeth (nicknamed Babou). Claude is a professional trombonist who was Elisabeth's best friend. Vincent is Elisabeth's joker of a brother, whose wife Anna is pregnant with their first child.

It was the matter of naming Vincent and Anna's unborn baby boy that starts us off in this adventure of bitter wit and sharp barbs all within the confines of Pierre's apartment. From a heated argument about the name Vincent plans to give his son, their conversation devolves into more serious and painful matters about each other's secrets they have been keeping from each other all these thirty odd years they have known each other as close friends.

"Le Prenom," with its confined action and lengthy dialogues, felt like a play. The passionate cast, led by Vincent Bruel and Charles Berling, were also acting like stage actors with their over-the top, exaggerated (therefore not too realistic for film) reactions and exclamations. I found out afterwards that it was adapted by Mathieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere, based on their 2011 stage play.

This script of this film is reminiscent of a 2008 French play by Yasmina Reza called "Gods of Carnage", made into a film called "Carnage" by Roman Polanski. That play/film had two middle-aged couple whose arguments begin from a fight between their sons to topics totally different from what they started talking about.

As with other foreign language films, I felt a lot of the humor and wit is lost in translation into the English subtitles. Especially in a very wordy screenplay like this one with practical jokes and secret revelations, so much subtleties in the use of language is expected, and I surely missed. This is already very good as I watching it, but I have a feeling French-speaking people found it even better. I will definitely watch a live English language performance of this play if there was one.

Usually not a big fan of french movies, but this one was surprisingly good. It didn't bore for a single second and yes, there was sharp dialog (even in dubbed version) but it was funny and not to the point where one had to cover one's ears. And another plus, unlike Carnage, it did not feature a puking which was a major bonus points earner. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and think the actors did a great job. They felt real enough that this could have actually happened at a dinner party back at my own home. It also had a nice twist that I didn't see coming and don 't want to spoil for anyone. Just this much, things are not always what they seem to be. Yep, that about covers it.

A well worthy ticket for an enjoyable popcorn movie night. (8/10)