Paparazzi (I) (1998)

At a football match, an unscrupulous photographer, Michel Verdier, takes pictures of a celebrity couple. Magazine editors go with the photos even though the dominant figure in them is a ... See full summary »

Director:

Alain Berbérian

Writers:

Alain Berbérian, Jean-François Halin,

Stars:

Vincent Lindon, Patrick Timsit, Catherine Frot

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Lindon	...	Michel Verdier
Patrick Timsit	...	Franck Bordoni
Catherine Frot	...	Evelyne Bordoni
Nathalie Baye	...	Nicole
Isabelle Gélinas	...	Sandra
Elise Tielrooy	...	Bénédicte
Didier Bénureau	...	Dacharie
Géraldine Bonnet-Guérin	...	Julie
Tim Doughty	...	M.C. Watson
Christophe Hémon	...	Xavier
Jean-Noël Cridlig-Veneziano	...	Nicola
Christophe Guybet	...	Médi
Stefan Elbaum	...	Foreman
Dominique Besnehard	...	Dédé
Hichem Rostom	...	Kabouli

Storyline

At a football match, an unscrupulous photographer, Michel Verdier, takes pictures of a celebrity couple. Magazine editors go with the photos even though the dominant figure in them is a chubby football fan. "So let him sue." When the magazine appears, the fan, Franck Bordoni, is fired since he was supposed to be at work. Bordoni comes to the magazine where, by coincidence, he meets Verdier. Verdier says he knows how to make some money. They go to a restaurant where Johnny Hallyday is leaving. Verdier has Bordoni take pictures with a cheap camera. When the celebrity assaults the patsy and smashes his camera ... Verdier gets some very lucrative shots. They get a tip that Isabelle Adjani has left her house. They arrive; Verdier pays off Adjani's neighbour. Verdier searches her garbage. Adjani has left for L.A. Verdier follows her, entrusting his keys to Bordoni. At Verdier's apartment, Bordoni takes a call for someone to shoot vanity photos of a millionaire's party. Bordoni goes there. ...

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Plot Keywords:

magazine | celebrity | photographer | money | editor | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Spanish official site powered by infoCINE

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

29 April 1998 (France)

Also Known As:

Paparazzi - Fotos um jeden Preis

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Rigolo Films 2000, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Queen Margot (1994)

User Reviews

Pleasant enough time-filler

"You two really ought to ****-****. You have all the disadvantages of marriage, so you might as well have the advantages as well." Alain Berberian's 1998 French comedy Paparazzi (not to be confused with the Mel Gibson-produced American revenge movie) feels like the kind of thing that Francis Veber would have made with Gerard Depardieu and Pierre Richard in the early 80s. Patrick Timsit is the 'Pignon'-like sad sack who loses his job when Vincent Lindon's paparazzi gets a cover shot of a couple of celebrities that unfortunately shows Timsit at a football match when he should have been at work. Determined to find out the identity of the photographer, Timsit instead finds himself conned into becoming Lindon's flunky before gradually acquiring a taste for the hunt himself that threatens to overshadow his reluctant teacher. Naturally moral lessons are learned by the time the end credits roll and it's better on the various tricks the trade – tip-offs, set-ups, cons, bribes and the odd bit of complicity with their more publicity-hungry prey – than it is at providing laughs, but it's an entertaining odd couple comedy which has enough good moments to pass muster. Of the supporting cast only Catherine Frot and Nathalie Baye have much to do while of the many cameos from local celebrities, only Isabelle Adjani and Johnny Hallyday will be remotely familiar to non-French audiences, though Patrick Bruel does give a brief master class in how to deal with a fledgling paparazzi. There's no real reason to watch it, but it passes the time more than pleasantly enough if you do.