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Happenstance (2000)
"Le battement d'ailes du papillon" (original title)

6.8
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Ratings: 6.8/10 from 3,125 users   Metascore: 59/100
Reviews: 36 user | 26 critic | 21 from Metacritic.com

How, thanks to what's known as the "Butterfly theory" (a random series of unlinked events), can a young woman and a young man meet ?

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Title: Happenstance (2000)

Happenstance (2000) on IMDb 6.8/10

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Irène
Faudel ...
Younès
...
Richard
Nathalie Besançon ...
Marie
Lysiane Meis ...
Elsa
Irène Ismaïloff ...
Stéphanie
Eric Feldman ...
Luc
Frédéric Bouraly ...
Bobby
Franck Bussi ...
The Waiter from the Philosophic Cafe
Marina Tomé ...
Julie
Félicité Wouassi ...
The Vigilant
Antoine Coesens ...
The Clochard
Saïd Serrari ...
The Pickpocket
Lily Boulogne ...
Luc's Mother (as Lili Boulogne)
Gilbert Robin ...
The Destiny Man
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Storyline

Chance, volition, and the large effects of tiny causes swirl through Paris on a single day. A clerk born 11 March 1977 hears her horoscope on the way to work: today she'll meet her true love, but she must be patient. Before the day ends under a full moon, twenty lives intersect time and again in unpredictable, connected ways: a jilted lover holds a souvenir pebble, a stolen coffee maker looks suspicious at a Metro stop, a yellow rain slicker is passed on as a gift, lettuce causes a bicycle accident, a leaf betrays an habitual liar who's just told the truth, and an Algerian waiter, also born 11 March 1977, sees a bug cross a tablecloth. Magical sand from the Sahara is in the air. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

rain | love | coffee | coffee maker | waiter | See more »

Taglines:

Merde happens. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

21 June 2000 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Happenstance  »

Filming Locations:


Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (DVD)

Sound Mix:

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Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The original French title translates as "the flapping of a butterfly's wings". In Hong Kong it was titled Amelie 2, to capitalise on the success of Audrey Tautou's breakout movie Amélie. Although Happenstance predates Amelie by a year, the two were released in reverse order in most non-French markets. See more »

Quotes

The Destiny Man: You see, every detail, every gesture, as slight as it may be, reveals an infinity of truths and thus has an endless repercussion and grandiose effects.
See more »

Connections

References Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) See more »

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User Reviews

 
This jewel of a film really shines
25 June 2000 | by (Montpellier, France) – See all my reviews

The fluttering of butterfly wings in the Atlantic can unleash a hurricane in the Pacific. According to this theory (somehow related to the Chaos Theory, I'm not sure exactly how), every action, no matter how small or insignificant, will start a chain reaction that can lead to big events. This small jewel of a film shows us a series of seemingly-unrelated characters, most of them in Paris, whose actions will affect each others' lives. (The six-degrees-of-separation theory can be applied as well.) Each story is a facet of the jewel that is this film. The acting is finely-tuned and nuanced (Audrey Tautou is luminous), the stories mesh plausibly, the humor is just right, and the viewer leaves the theatre nodding in agreement.


13 of 15 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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