The Closet (2001)
"Le placard" (original title)

A man spreads the rumor of his fake homosexuality with the aid of his neighbor, to prevent his imminent firing at his work.

Director:

Francis Veber

Writers:

Francis Veber (dialogue), Francis Veber (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Auteuil	...	François Pignon
Gérard Depardieu	...	Félix Santini
Thierry Lhermitte	...	Guillaume
Michèle Laroque	...	Mlle Bertrand
Jean Rochefort	...	Kopel, the director
Alexandra Vandernoot	...	Christine
Stanislas Forlani	...	Franck (as Stanislas Crevillén)
Michel Aumont	...	Belone, the neighbour
Edgar Givry	...	Mathieu
Thierry René	...	Victor (as Thierry Ashanti)
Armelle Deutsch	...	Ariane
Michèle Garcia	...	Madame Santini
Laurent Gamelon	...	Alba
Vincent Moscato	...	Ponce
Irina Ninova	...	Martine

Storyline

François Pignon, a very bland sort of man who works as an accountant in a rubber factory, is about to be fired. His new neighbour comes up with an idea to prevent such a thing to happen: he spreads the rumor that he's gay so that the factory management might be afraid they'll be sued for sexual discrimination. Of course, nothing happens as it should, but the changes in François Pignon's life -and other people's too- is drastic !

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Plot Keywords:

accountant | homosexuality | homophobia | gay bashing | photo montage | 

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Taglines:

To Protect His Job, He's Come Out of the Closet He Never Went Into!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

17 January 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Ein Mann sieht rosa

Filming Locations:

Chaville, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 95,130,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,769 (Hong Kong) (4 October 2002)

Gross:

$14,769 (Hong Kong) (4 October 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont, EFVE, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 99173.

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Quotes

Belone, the neighbour: I was fired for same reason they're keeping you on. Amazing how things evolve, huh?

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Connections

Featured in Francis Veber artisan du rire: La mécanique dure rire (2002)

User Reviews

a touching astute film masquerading as a farce

This is a delightful character study and social commentary masquerading as a broad farce. It is very, very funny. They avoid cheap "queer" jokes and cheap "homophobe" jokes even as they bluntly portray attitudes about homosexuals. Even though they use very real language to illustrate the attitudes. There is some great acting throughout. Each of the characters is a study in itself. The homophobic character (Depardieu) emerges as intriguing and sympathetic, where it could have been two dimensional. The relationship between Auteil and Aumont almost brought me to tears. The transformation of the lead character is believable, despite the improbable context that the film creates. The final scene with his ex-wife is powerful. Others have pointed out that the lead character never changes, the perceptions of others change. This makes his actual transformation that much more effective. This movie is a real find.