Family Resemblances (1996)
"Un air de famille" (original title)

An upper middle-class French family celebrates a birthday in a restaurant. In one evening and during one meal, family history, tensions, collective and separate grudges, delights, and ... See full summary »

Director:

Cédric Klapisch

Writers:

Agnès Jaoui (play), Jean-Pierre Bacri (play),

Stars:

Jean-Pierre Bacri, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Catherine Frot

8 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Pierre Bacri	...	Henri
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Denis
Catherine Frot	...	Yolande
Agnès Jaoui	...	Betty
Claire Maurier	...	Madame Ménard - la mère
Wladimir Yordanoff	...	Philippe
Alain Guillo	...	Le Présentateur
Sophie Simon	...	La Mère 1967
Cédric Klapisch	...	Le Père 1967
Antoine Chappey	...	Le Voisin
Chantal Gouard	...	Une amie de la mère
Viviane Ordas	...	Une amie de la mère
Aurélie Remacle	...	Betty 1967
Nicolas Taeb	...	Henri 1967
Ludovic Taeb	...	Philippe 1967

Storyline

An upper middle-class French family celebrates a birthday in a restaurant. In one evening and during one meal, family history, tensions, collective and separate grudges, delights, and memories both clash and coalesce.

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Plot Keywords:

birthday | business executive | tragicomedy | husband wife relationship | stairs | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Leisure Time Features

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

12 June 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Family Resemblances

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$257,637 (USA) (12 June 1998)

Gross:

$316,872 (USA) (26 June 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, France 2 Cinéma, Téléma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Un petit jeu sans conséquence (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Come prima"
Written by Jacques Larue, Mario Panzeri (as M. Panzeri), Sandro Taccani (as S. Paola Taccani),
Vincenzo di Paola (as V. Di Paola)
Performed by Dalida

User Reviews

Cédric Klapisch,Agnès Varda and Jean-Pierre Bacri create an excellent portrait of what makes or breaks french families.

A feature film can be interpreted in many different ways depending on who is assessing it.For screenwriters, Un Air de Famille directed by renowned French director Cédric Klapisch is a film which boasts of a simple yet ingenuous plot whose strength is revealed progressively.For astute viewers,this is a film which highlights the importance of a family setup especially in the manner people with different aspirations and tastes are able to learn from each other.We get to see how some family members are treated more favorably than others.The learning in question is related to a family whose members gather to celebrate a happy event.The mark of Cédric Klapisch's leadership skills bears its strong imprint on this film not only in the manner he wrote the screenplay with Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri but also with the sincerity with which he has extracted excellent acting performances from these two famous actors.Apart from being an excellent piece of sumptuous entertainment,Un Air de Famille is also able to score good points as it is a good learning endeavor for everyone interested in French language and culture.This is revealed in the manner in which the lives of married people are delineated.This film also reveals the manner in which a worker's relationship with the boss is depicted.These two facets are useful for anyone who wants to watch Un Air de Famille in order to understand the dynamics of a French family and French language.