Tatie Danielle

I have to say that I don't like this film. I love French films because I think they are more in depth, thought-provoking, and spend more time developing relationships between the characters. Unfortunately, Tatie Danielle is cruel and mean. She criticizes everybody but herself. She makes everybody else's life worse than hers by her actions. The way she treats people including the old woman who cared for her in the beginning of the film is exceptionally cruel when it causes her death. She moves in with unsuspecting relatives who have two young sons. One son is obviously homosexual but the parents either ignore it just turned a blind eye to it. Not Tatie Danielle! You can imagine what she has to say and do. Just look what she does to the family pet dog. Anyway, she finally meets her match in the caretaker assigned to her when the family takes a much-needed Greek vacation for a month. If only Americans could take month-long vacations, how I envy the French. Anyway, they get along until she has to leave her. Then Tatie Danielle gets famous for her poor treatment by getting national sympathy. When she's not in the old folks home after that incident, she is away with her caretaker somewhere. I don't know. I think Tatie's cruelty is just too much for me or anyone.

You have probably read the others viewers comments and you know that this woman Tatie Danielle is very very bad. But I think she's worst than that! In 99 % of the movies, old women are funny, or touching. Not desperados or delinquent. But Tatie is. Or worst... Despite that, this movie is also very sarcastic about middle class families, and a certain way of life. This is truly very unique, a real mastepiece of black humor. One of my favorite comic movie of all time. Let's hope Hollywood will never make a remake.

This should be a cult film for those with mean elderly relatives. We have recommended this to folks with hypercritical mothers, mothers-in-law, and others, who also said "She's mean." And nobody else believes them, because the relative can be just so nice to others. we've seen the little smirk that comes across her face when she makes somebody else suffer. She is also willing to suffer herself, if it means others suffer even more.

This film rings so true that it must have been based somebody's actual experience. Packaging family angst as a comedy probably wouldn't sell in Hollywood, so we have to pick this up from the French.

Cinematically, it's better than average, with notable performances from Tati and her niece and nephew.

It's charming and amusing to boot.

I can't think of how Holloywood would do a remake of the fine film of social manner "but" I hope they don't bother. The comedy never stops, Tatie Danielle is everyones favourite Aunt, we all love to hate her, and its not that difficult. One of my favourite scene is the bit when the "dog" gets dump in a Paris Street, (removing its collar, so that it can't be identified. The acting is very good. There are some very beautiful women in the film, including the young nurse in the hospital. The film is very French and one can learn a lot about the modern middle class in French today, just by looking at this film. Another plus, the film gets better with repeated viewing, and I have seen it about six or seven times already.

A film like "Tatie Danielle" is a welcome departure from the formula comedy-dramas out there focusing on the elderly members of our society. We're not dealing with another "Who will take care of Grandma" story, but are confronted with a real problem: This old lady is NOT the dear little Granny we know from story books. She isn't the type anyone would hate to ship off to a nursing home. She's the devil in disguise of a sweet old woman, who manipulates people around her to cause general unpleasantness.

In frequent moments of talking to herself (or rather her long-departed husband), Tatie Danielle fills us in on the "big picture". Apparently this woman has never worked or cared for herself. The widow of a high ranking military officer, living comfortably on a handsome pension, the old woman makes it her mission to terrorize anyone she encounters. The scene where a dear friend of many years dies because of Danielle's unreasonable demands to perform ridiculous cleaning chores shows the utter lack of compassion this woman has. Later she is party to abandoning an old family dog, more evidence of the cruelty within her.

Despite the roller-coaster ride of mean and spiteful behavior from an ungrateful, chronic malcontent, this film has many reflective moments, as well as a lot of good laughs. If you're put off by "Auntie Danielle's" mean cruelties, stick it out, because there is a big pay-off in the end, as well as a captivating story leading there. Not for everyone's taste, but certainly an excellent piece of International Cinema! The English subtitles are very efficient, giving just enough of the original French dialog to "translate" the meaning. Poor subtitles can spoil a foreign film, but an excellent job was done here!