My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument (1996)
"Comment je me suis disputé... (ma vie sexuelle)" (original title)

Paul Dedalus is at a crossroads in his life. He has to make several decisions; should he complete his doctorate, does he want to become a full professor, does he really love his ... See full summary »

Director:

Arnaud Desplechin

Writers:

Emmanuel Bourdieu, Arnaud Desplechin

Stars:

Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Devos, Emmanuel Salinger

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mathieu Amalric	...	Paul Dedalus
Emmanuelle Devos	...	Esther
Emmanuel Salinger	...	Nathan
Marianne Denicourt	...	Sylvia
Thibault de Montalembert	...	Bob
Chiara Mastroianni	...	Patricia
Denis Podalydès	...	Jean-Jacques
Jeanne Balibar	...	Valérie
Fabrice Desplechin	...	Ivan
Hélène Lapiower	...	Le Mérou
Michel Vuillermoz	...	Frédéric Rabier
Roland Amstutz	...	Chernov
Marion Cotillard	...	Student
Solenn Jarniou	...	Pascale
Philippe Duclos	...	Spiritual Accompanist

Storyline

Paul Dedalus is at a crossroads in his life. He has to make several decisions; should he complete his doctorate, does he want to become a full professor, does he really love his long-standing girlfriend, or should he re-start with one of his other lovers? Is he avoiding the despairing life his father can't escape from ?

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Plot Keywords:

doctorate | love | professor | shower | teacher student relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

17 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

France 2 Cinéma, La Sept Cinéma, Why Not Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Arnaud Desplechin originally wanted to name the movie "Comment je me suis disputé avec Éric Barbier" (How I Got Into An Argument With Eric Barbier), as a dig at former colleague Eric Barbier, also the basis for movie character Frédéric Rabier. A justice decision prevented him from using the full title, hence the ellipsis and the added subtitle.

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Soundtracks

"O.P."
Written by Charles Mingus
Performed by Charles Mingus

User Reviews

...like a hole in the head.

James Joyce may have been the greatest writer of the 20th century, but his altar-ego, Stephen Dedalus, is one of literature's great bores, a self-regarding intellectual who gets so lost in a swamp of second-hand ideas he does not know how to live life, and where one line will do, will speak reams of dense, circular, allusive cant.

Ditto his namesake Paul in this film, with whom we have the privilege of spending three hours, as he talks, makes a mess of his life, talks, makes a mess of his career, talks, makes a mess of his relationships, and talks. 173 minutes. Like Stephen, his problems with writing are linked to his problems with sex. This is a key film of the Young French Cinema, which favours the flat filming of dozens of bright charmless young things drinking coffee and talking about Wittgenstein. Great.