Après vous...

It seems when it comes to romantic comedies the French have the corner on the market and technique. APRES VOUS is a bit of pastiche with a storyline that borders on absurd, but in the hands of director Pierre Salvadori it becomes not only an enjoyable farce, but also a tender little statement about compassion.

Antoine (Daniel Anteuil) is the fastidious and ultra compassionate manager of a high-class restaurant who bends over backwards for his staff, his patrons, and anybody who crosses his path who appears needy. He ends up making his girlfriend Christine (Marilyne Canto) take second place to his humanitarian concerns and this puts a strain on his relationship. One evening in a rush to meet Christine he encounters Louis (José Garcia) who is in the process of hanging himself in the park, his desired finale to a life of frustration and loss of his girlfriend Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain). Naturally Antoine rescues him, feeds him, even brings him home, all the while putting his life on hold to help Louis heal his wounds. Louis is most concerned about the loss of Blanche and Antoine immediately commits his efforts to find her, woo her back for Louis (including revealing Blanche's current boyfriend's infidelity) - but in the process there develops a mutual attraction between Antoine and Blanche! Antoine arranges for Louis to get a job at his restaurant despite Louis' depression and lack of training. Just when everything seems to be turning out for the best, Christine leaves Antoine, and the circumstances surrounding Antoine's salvage of Louis' life change and the ending is somewhat of a French twist! The acting is fine, the pacing is fine, the only problem is with the characters themselves: we soon tire of Antoine's absurd selflessness and Louis' nerdy helplessness and that hampers the identification with these characters. Other than that the film is a brisk, sweet little French farce that leaves you humming. Grady Harp

I saw this at the Phoenix Film Festival, almost by accident. My first choice for the time slot was full, and this would end in time to see my next screening, so I grabbed a seat as the lights went down.

A very pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed this movie, walking into it with out the slightest idea what it was about.

While the premise may not have been 100% original (man helps man get back the girl... but falls for her himself), I thought it was very well done. We should all wish to have friends as dedicated as Antoine, and we can all relate to Louis at some point in our lives.

While the movie may not have been hysterical, I found myself smiling or laughing most of the time. The end result wasn't completely unexpected, yet how they got there was a surprise to me, with the last gag being a nice touch.

Definitely recommend this film. Not one you'll discus what it means for hours, but one you should enjoy while you are there.

Although this film has a few funny moments, the general performance is flabby and leaves you frustrated and expecting better. There are two many scenes that are drawn out, and where you are waiting for the inevitable to happen but there it takes too long to arrive. The goods bits are the audition of José Garcia for the job in the restaurant, when Daniel Auteil takes to the booze and some of the scenes where they are prowling around Blanche's house. The actors are all pleasant to watch, even the lady restaurant owner, and this to some extent saves the film but I came away from it with an overall feeling of frustration at having sat through a relatively long period to get so few laughs. I can't see this film having ANY success outside France and even here, from what I can gather by asking around, it doesn't appear to have been a major success. Pity, because the makings of something better are definitely there and the plot could have been developed with further qui-pro-quo's to make it spicier !

This has to be, no contest, the best restaurant-based movie since Claude Sautet persuaded Yves Montand and Jacques Villeret to don monkey suits for 'Garcon'. They get the mix just right between humor and pathos and although it's based on a dubious premise for the 21st century - maitre d' Auteuil spots Garcia trying to top himself, intervenes and then, against all the odds of cynicism, feels obliged to 'adopt' him and straighten out his life - it still works. This straightening out includes fixing up klux Garcia with a job as sommelier at Auteuil's restaurant which means in turn that Garcia must compete in an interview/audition with people who have actually worked as sommeliers. Given that Garcia knows as much about wine as Ludivine Sagnier knows about acting with her clothes on the audition is a hoot, with Auteuil, sitting in, natch, on the interview and attempting to coach Garcia surreptitiously. The main reason that Garcia was interested in running out of breath was the fact that he'd been dumped by a girl friend and nothing will do but that Auteuil must intervene once more and attempt to win back the ex-girl friend, who is now involved with someone else. Not unnaturally, Auteuil begins to fall in love with said girl friend which is not exactly hard given that she is played by Sandrine Kiberlain, a great actress with an elusive beauty which is hard to classify. She doesn't do chocolate-box like Audrey Tautou, she doesn't do chic like Catherine Deneuve, she doesn't do warmth like Isabelle Huppert and Fanny Ardant and she most certainly doesn't do slut like Ludivine Sagnier, whatever she does she does it to a fare-thee-well and if you don't believe me ask that swine Vincent Lindon, who married her before I could get there first (just kidding, Vince, you're a great actor yourself if anybody asks you but WHY did you have to take her off the market?). This complication gives the movie an extra fillip, a touch of the Cyrano de Bergeracs, with Auteuil pressing a claim for a guy who is now, to all intents and purposes, a rival, although unlike Cyrano, who has been in love with Roxanne all his life and is himself unattached, Auteuil is - or was - in a happy relationship until these life-changing events. All in all a very fine movie worth a couple of hours of anyone's time provided they are motivated by people and the Human Condition and not Matrix-type fx. 9/10

I went to the film because I had just come back from a first-time trip to Paris and I could translate what Apres Vous meant. Well, what a wonderful experience! Refreshing, surprising, beautifully underplayed humor, a lovely farce as only the French can do. Reminds me of the old Comedy of Manners from Sheridan's time. Well written, well directed and well acted. Congratulations. And that soundtrack "Allo Papa Tango Charly" is just stuck in my head - I found it's a Mort Schuman tune from 1977, but can't pick up the soundtrack anywhere, even on the official site! Anyone got access to it? I can more or less translate the lyrics from my school days, but would like to come across a literal translation if anyone has it.

I think I might have to go again, just for the song! The food shown at Chez Jean's reminded me so much of the lovely food we had every day in Paris.

A very welcome afternoon at the Cinema.

Jack.