Après vous... (2003)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Pierre Salvadori

Writers:

Danièle Dubroux (idea)
Benoît Graffin (writer)

Release Date:

17 December 2003 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A very tasty comedy with a little French twist.

Plot:

Antoine (Auteuil) saves Louis (Garcia) from hanging himself, though in his attempt to get Louis back on his feet, Antoine gets caught in a romantic triangle.

Plot Keywords:

Clerk | Chinese Restaurant | Love Triangle | Wine Drinking | Attempted Suicide

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Daniel Auteuil	...	Antoine Letoux
José Garcia	...	Louis
Sandrine Kiberlain	...	Blanche Grimaldi
Marilyne Canto	...	Christine
Michèle Moretti	...	Martine
Garance Clavel	...	Karine
Fabio Zenoni	...	André
Jocelyne Desverchère	...	Sandrine the Florist
Didier Menin	...	Man at Thai Restaurant
Jean-Claude Lecas	...	Cook
Blandine Pélissier	...	Nurse
Jean-Charles Dumay	...	Serge the Sommelier
Ange Ruzé	...	Young Waiter
Élise Otzenberger	...	Hairdresser
Jean-Luc Abel	...	The Inspector

Also Known As:

After You (International: English title) (USA)
Fleur de peau (France) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

France:110 min | USA:110 min | Argentina:110 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15 | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:Atp | USA:R

Company:

Les Films Pelléas

Quotes:

Blanche: I'm not an easy girl... but I'm very reconciliating.

Soundtrack:

Sur le bout de la langue

Later, Waiter

This has to be, no contest, the best restaurant-based movie since Claude Sautet persuaded Yves Montand and Jacques Villeret to don monkey suits for 'Garcon'. They get the mix just right between humor and pathos and although it's based on a dubious premise for the 21st century - maitre d' Auteuil spots Garcia trying to top himself, intervenes and then, against all the odds of cynicism, feels obliged to 'adopt' him and straighten out his life - it still works. This straightening out includes fixing up klux Garcia with a job as sommelier at Auteuil's restaurant which means in turn that Garcia must compete in an interview/audition with people who have actually worked as sommeliers. Given that Garcia knows as much about wine as Ludivine Sagnier knows about acting with her clothes on the audition is a hoot, with Auteuil, sitting in, natch, on the interview and attempting to coach Garcia surreptitiously. The main reason that Garcia was interested in running out of breath was the fact that he'd been dumped by a girl friend and nothing will do but that Auteuil must intervene once more and attempt to win back the ex-girl friend, who is now involved with someone else. Not unnaturally, Auteuil begins to fall in love with said girl friend which is not exactly hard given that she is played by Sandrine Kiberlain, a great actress with an elusive beauty which is hard to classify. She doesn't do chocolate-box like Audrey Tautou, she doesn't do chic like Catherine Deneuve, she doesn't do warmth like Isabelle Huppert and Fanny Ardant and she most certainly doesn't do slut like Ludivine Sagnier, whatever she does she does it to a fare-thee-well and if you don't believe me ask that swine Vincent Lindon, who married her before I could get there first (just kidding, Vince, you're a great actor yourself if anybody asks you but WHY did you have to take her off the market?). This complication gives the movie an extra fillip, a touch of the Cyrano de Bergeracs, with Auteuil pressing a claim for a guy who is now, to all intents and purposes, a rival, although unlike Cyrano, who has been in love with Roxanne all his life and is himself unattached, Auteuil is - or was - in a happy relationship until these life-changing events. All in all a very fine movie worth a couple of hours of anyone's time provided they are motivated by people and the Human Condition and not Matrix-type fx. 9/10