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(France) Directed by Frances Weber (Le Plaçard, Le Chèvre, Les Fugitifs)
Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Pierre Richard, Stéphane Bierry
Plot: A teenaged boy runs away with a hot young girl who is very bad news. His mother goes to the police but the police do little to find him. She goes to the girl's father, who runs a hotel in a distant town, but he says he hasn't seen the kids. She's sure he's lying, but she needs a man 'tougher' than her husband to get the truth out of him. So she calls an old lover, Jean (Depardieu), and cooks up a story that he is really the boy's father. Jean, a reporter, refuses to take the bait -- or so it seems. So the mother goes to a second old lover, François (Richard) and gives him the same story. François is a suicidal klutz with a heart of gold. He goes after the boy. Meanwhile, Jean has changed his mind and goes after the boy as well. The boy, meanwhile, has gotten into a nasty gang of juvenile delinquent bikers. A comedy of errors ensues. Jean and François cross each other's paths several times before figuring out that they're both looking for the same kid and are both supposed to be his father. Jean is the tough, ham-fisted fighter who gets the job done while François is the bumbler who often finds the right path by mistake, as in their earlier comedy Le Chèvre.
Critical Consensus: A very effective French comedy with lots of laughs and a sentimental heart. Even your subtitle-hating friends will like it! These three comedies with Pierre Richard and director Frances Weber (Le Chèvre, Les Compères, Les Fugitifs) are arguably the best comedy work Depardieu has ever done and must-sees for fans.
Trivia: Remade in the U.S. as Father's Day starring Robin Wililams and Billy Crystal.
US/UK Status: This comedy was released in the US with English subtitles but is out of print. You can sometimes find older copies of it in rental shops with good French film selections. It's also available, with subtitles, from Francevision.com. Not available for sale in the UK.
Links:
Imdb.com listing (see especially the trailer)
Francevision.com VHS rental (with subtitles)
Discussion of the film in regards to US remakes
Cinedestin page (in French with pics)
Mr. Showbiz review of Father's Day remake
Marco French Films mini-reviews
On Our Site:
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