Restons groupés (1998)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Jean-Paul Salomé

Writers:

Bruno Dega (writer)
Jean-Paul Salomé (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

2 September 1998 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

L'année prochaine, on reste en France !

Plot Keywords:

Stranded | French | Frenchman Abroad | French Tourist | Tourist

Cast

Emma de Caunes	...	Claire
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Mathias
Bruno Solo	...	Jeff
Bernard Le Coq	...	Jean-Michel
Estelle Larrivaz	...	Suzy
Judith Henry	...	Elvira
Hubert Koundé	...	Aimé
Bruno Lochet	...	Gwenaël
Antoinette Moya	...	Lyliane
Claire Nadeau	...	Nicole
Michel Robin	...	Raymond
Jorge Cervera Jr.	...	Emilio
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Gary
Debra Christofferson	...	Kathy
Abbes Zahmani	...	Max
Jean Alibert	...	Richard
Judy Herrera	...	Desawenta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Darwyn Carson	...	Flight attendant
Frank Feys	...	Belgian tour guide
Julian Stone	...	Hotel Clerk

Directed by
Jean-Paul Salomé

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Bruno Dega		writer
Jean-Paul Salomé		writer
Jérôme Tonnerre		story

Produced by
Alain Bourboulon	....	producer
Frédéric Bourboulon	....	producer
Alain Sarde	....	producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Jean-Claude Larrieu

Film Editing by
Michèle Robert-Lauliac

Production Design by
J. Rae Fox

Set Decoration by
Helen Britten

Costume Design by
Charlotte David

Makeup Department
Erin Braus Guth	....	makeup department head (as Erin M. Braus)
Susan Ham	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eva Franzen	....	second assistant director
Nicolas Guy	....	first assistant director
Wendi Lampassi	....	second assistant director
Louis Leterrier	....	second assistant director

Art Department
John M. Oswald	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Sylviane Bouget	....	sound editor
Michel Casang	....	sound assistant
Edouard d'Heucqueville	....	sound mix technician
Christian Fontaine	....	sound mixer
Laurent Poirier	....	sound
Jean-Noël Yven	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Séverine De Wever	....	production coordinator

Visual Effects by
Andre Brizard	....	digital compositor: Duboi
Thomas Duval	....	compositing supervisor
Xavier Fourmond	....	digital compositor
Antoine Simkine	....	visual effects executive producer: Duboi
Georges Tornero	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Mary Torres	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephane Cojot-Goldberg	....	first assistant camera
Guido Frenzel	....	director of photography: second unit

Music Department
Philippe Lauliac	....	music editor

Other crew
Hayley Helmreich	....	craft service
Marc E. Spiegel	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Les Films Alain Sarde
• Little Bear
• TF1 Films Production

Distributors

• Bac Films
• PFC Vidéo (1999) (France) (DVD)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

France:U

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Les Films Alain Sarde

French Road Movie in U.S. Southwest

This comedy was triggered by the real story of a group of French tourists stranded in the southwestern US when their tour operator went bankrupt. In this film, the tour guide tries heroically to keep up the appearances of a dream tour as the inconveniences grow into disaster. For example, they are steered to a yellow school bus instead of the air-conditioned coach they expected. Everyone goes along with the program with varying degrees of fuss. Like the tourists, the audience has to be good natured about the inconveniences. At times, we have to suspend credulity, as when the group camps out in a swanky hotel suite, or when they camp out in the desert. But then we are rewarded with some lovely vistas of the southwest, including Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley.

When we are not admiring the scenery, we get to watch the different characters - the young couple, the old communist couple, the bourgeois couple, the journalist, the tour guide, the chain-smoking woman, the black gym instructor, etc. - interact and reveal their individual stories and pet peeves.

The film is careful to refrain from criticism of American culture. However, it does poke jabs at the French. You would have to be fairly familiar with France and the French (and the language) to appreciate the digs. That makes it a French road movie with an American backdrop.

The one character that is unfortunately left undeveloped is the Latino (presumably Mexican) bus driver. One wonders what he thought of these crazy French tourists.