Les beaux gosses

This comedy is easily comparable to the recent American teenage sex-romps, especially the American Pie series, however, at the same time it is a totally different movie. American Pie, as funny as it was, was not witty or intelligent. The French Kissers, directed by first-timer Riad Sattouf, is very funny, but also an accurate representation of what teenage boys experience in high school. Although not all just think of sex, all are curious. This movie follows Herve (Vincent Lacoste) and his best mate Camel (Anthony Sonigo) as they deal with bullies, homework, family, hormones and the girls they so long desire. There is no solid plot, rather, it is a disjointed series of events that happen during a year that summarise a hectic time for teenagers. Relationships are lost and started, tests and asssignments are forgotten about till the last minute, parents pry into their child's sex life, and friends hang out and talk about their latest fling or sexcapades.

What I find makes this movie so good is the performances of the actors, who instill such life into their characters. Lacoste is incredibly funny as the nerdy guy with low self-esteem, but whose hormones are constantly raging. Sonigo is just as funny as the heavy metal loving, mullet wearing best friend who longs for the most beautiful girl in the school. Alice Trémolière and Julie Scheibling are fantastic as Aurore and Laura, the two girls who Herve and Camel lust after with varying degrees of luck. One last mention should go to Noémie Lvovsky as Herve's mother, who never stops prying and loving her son. Honestly, her character was so believable not just because Lvovsky was so good, but I can relate as my mother was a lot like her. Which brings me the screenplay, which is great as it brings a sense of realism to all the proceedings. Nothing is too far-fetched in this movie, which brings it above most American comedies of this nature.

The soundtrack is excellent, and of course, Sattouf's direction is excellent. Yes, this is a very crude movie, with the majority of it being about sex and the various other activities a couple may get up to. Not everyone will enjoy it, the constant talk of masturbation, sex, french kissing (hence the title), and porn will put off people who do not feel comfortable with those subjects. But at the film's heart is a touching story of slowly discovering one's self, and thankfully Sattouf does not resort to sappiness and sentimentality with this theme. Unlike the many American comedies which end neatly with everything returning to normal, this ends in a way which mirrors how high school can really be (but I'm not going to spoil that here).

4/5

I just saw this at the Traverse City Film Festival. If your idea of "funny" is watching adolescent, pimply French boys jerking off into their socks, please feel free to attend.

The protagonist is immature, unlikable, and just plain MEAN. He dismisses a girl who has the temerity to ask him if he wants to go out by calling her a "cow" and walking away laughing at her, leaving her in tears. The callousness of that scene is never redeemed. That is just an example of the loutishness in this film that passes for humor.

I gave it a 4 only because of the impressiveness of the female lead. Other than her screen time, don't waste your time.

This destined for cult status flick is essentially a French American Pie or Superbad. It has pubescent boys obsessed with sex, local girls who said lads have no chance with (or do they?) and uncomfortable situations aplenty. It doesn't do anything overly original, and the story arc is predictable, but that doesn't matter. It is bloody hilarious. Sure, it has patches of unfunny areas, but when it hits the mark you'll be cackling until tears roll down your cheeks.

The awkward moments – like the boys getting caught perving on a neighbour - draw out a chuckle here and there, though the real hearty laughs are primarily induced from the smaller, subtler parts of the film benefitting from the nuanced comic performances delivered by its young, pimply cast. Vincent Lacoste makes Herve a naturalistic and relatable adolescent whilst Anthony Sonigo is more over-the-top as his ultra-libidinous mate Camel. There is also a side-splitting turn from Noemie Lvovsky as Herve's unabashed mother who has an unseemly, yet surprisingly never disturbing, interest in her son's sex life. The bit where she witnesses Herve snogging for the first time is one of many highlights – her reaction is completely and utterly priceless.

Writers Riad Sattouf (who also directed) and Marc Syrigas deserve plenty of credit too; their script has some undoubtedly memorable dialogue and interactions. A canteen scene where an inexplicably-cool blind boy chats up a naive girl offers one of the finest pick-up lines put to celluloid. Not to mention the deadpan reactions from Herve's group when they hear the school bully has died. It are these moments where the film shines and makes you forget about its numerous faults - the cultural differences to Australia make for some oddities – elsewhere in the movie.

A guilty 90 minutes indeed.

3.5 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)

Teenagers saga, topic visited many time by film makers, for me this one is fresh funny and sincere. I won't draw comparison with others as I feel it stands OK on its own. I left France 40 years ago and my teenage day was quite different on the ethnicity mix and the freedom of sexual expression that exists today. Yet I could associate so well with my own teenagers' experiences. Although the movie does deal a lot with sexual issues; and why not if it's about teenagers growing up. The film also deals with other relevant issues. I'm a little taking aback by the tittle chosen for English language "French Kissers". In my view it reduces the expectation of the potential viewer to something a little more trivial than what this movie is about. I even read a comment that explained why it was so named! My learning and understanding of the expression "french kiss" is somehow fairly specific and I could not relate to it appropriately further than a play on word. I wish I had the skill to translate meaningfully what "Les Beaux Gosses" conveys. I'm not happy with "the beaut kids" or " the great kids" but it's around this idea. And the idea in "beau gosse" is someone who think he or she's ready to put one over you but smoothly with a smile, weather or not it will happen. If I had to put a title in English for it I probably would have called it LOL, yes because this film is not threatening anyone and does touch people in a way they most likely will relate with it on way or the other, but whatever you will laugh out loudly. If you don't I don't envy you!

(2009) The French Kissers/ Les beaux gosses (In French with English subtitles) DRAMA/ COMEDY

Co-written and directed by Riad Sattouf that center on teenager. Hervé (Vincent Lacoste) and his best friend, Camel (Anthony Sonigo) both of them hoping they too are able to"french kiss" with some of their female peers as well. And as soon as one of them realizes Hervé wanting to do this. That she was only doing it to lead him on. And then down the line, one of them does want a serious relationship with him, her name is Aurore (Alice Trémolières) to which they start out as friends and she invites her and her single mother to a party.

Although, the subject matter is reminiscent to "American Pie" movies somewhat because their are some humiliating situations, I did not find many of the scenes sometimes pointless and unfunny. The ending was somewhat satisfying but was not enough to save the entire movie that left me with some unanswered questions that was never addressed.