This quaint and amusing tale from director Patrice Leconte pairs Milan (Johnny Hallyday), a nomadic urban cowboy, with Manesquier (Jean Rochefort), a reserved and very settled curmudgeon. The two meet on the train in a French suburb, and before long the overly trusting Manesquier has invited Milan to be his house guest because .. Read more
| Starring | Johnny Hallyday, Jean Rochefort, Charlie Nelson, Jean-Francois Stevenin |
|---|---|
| Director | Patrice Leconte |
| Genres | Drama |
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This quaint and amusing tale from director Patrice Leconte pairs Milan (Johnny Hallyday), a nomadic urban cowboy, with Manesquier (Jean Rochefort), a reserved and very settled curmudgeon. The two meet on the train in a French suburb, and before long the overly trusting Manesquier has invited Milan to be his house guest because the local hotels are closed for the night. The two men cautiously get to know each other, and they find that they have many things in common, even though they appear on the surface to be utter opposites. But deep down, they both desire to live life in the shoes of the other, even if just for a short period of time. And in a subtle, mutually understood way, they do just that.
| Starring | Johnny Hallyday, Jean Rochefort, Charlie Nelson, Jean-Francois Stevenin |
|---|---|
| Director | Patrice Leconte |
| Studio | PATHE DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 26 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 22 Sep 2003 Production year: 2002 |
| Format | DVD |
Male bonding has been a recurring theme throughout director Patrice Leconte's career, but he's never handled the subject with such wit, sensitivity and insight as in this superb two-hander. The key to its success is the easy rapport between Jean Rochefort's retired teacher and Johnny Hallyday's taciturn thief, as they contemplate heart surgery and a bank robbery, respectively. A whiff of chauvinism pervades the subplots, but mostly the atmosphere is one of late-life regret tinged with a wistful envy for another, seemingly more satisfying or exciting lifestyle. In his seventh collaboration with Leconte, Rochefort is typically mischievous, but the revelation is Hallyday — an ageing pop icon dubbed the French Elvis — who lowers his guard of Gallic cool to reveal genuine vulnerability.
Directed by Patrice Leconte (Girl on the Bridge) this film is about two men Johnny Hallyday and Jean Rochefort who meet in a quiet small town. Hallyday arrives for a bank job and is offered to stay at Rochefort's as the hotel is closed. The two men are quite opposite characters but are struck by a friendship that changes each others life.
I can't determine what makes this film so engaging but it is simply wonderful.
Credible relationship between two strangers Original screenplay which had you guessing to the end. Well observed and filmed