Work Hard, Play Hard (2003)
"Violence des échanges en milieu tempéré" (original title)

Philippe Seigner, a charming business school graduate from the French Pyrenees, starts his career in business consulting at the posh Paris seat of McGregor. His first serious task is a ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean-Marc Moutout

Writers:

Olivier Gorce, Ghislaine Jégou,

Stars:

Jérémie Renier, Laurent Lucas, Cylia Malki

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jérémie Renier	...	Philippe Seigner
Laurent Lucas	...	Hugo Paradis
Cylia Malki	...	Eva
Olivier Perrier	...	Roland Manin
Samir Guesmi	...	Adji Zerouane
Martine Chevallier	...	Suzanne Delmas (as Martine Chevalier)
Pierre Cassignard	...	Thierry Molinaro
Nozha Khouadra	...	Samia Zerouane
Dani	...	La mère d'Eva
Alain Rimoux	...	François Delhaye
Mickaël Chirinian	...	Greg
Bernard Sens	...	Serge
Valérie Kéruzoré	...	Marine
David Migeot	...	Stan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Florence Barillot	...	Assistente cabinet juridique

Storyline

Philippe Seigner, a charming business school graduate from the French Pyrenees, starts his career in business consulting at the posh Paris seat of McGregor. His first serious task is a delicate one, an audit at the Janson food cans factory in the provinces, which is about to be taken over. As he soon realizes, this will mean sacking about 80 employees, as his boss Hugo Paradis knew from the start. However, his Paris girl friend reproaches him collaborating with ruthless capitalism, as if any of the downsizing could be stopped or mitigated by him bowing out. Nevertheless, as he gets to knew the threatened staff better he considers risking his career when his boss orders him to chose who should go. Meanwhile the factory staff starts realizing what's about to happening.

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Plot Keywords:

beach | swimwear | male bonding | undressing | bathrobe | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

1000films.com - Les Films du Losange [fr]

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 January 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Work Hard, Play Hard

Company Credits

Production Co:

TS Productions, Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, arte France Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

User Reviews

coping with emotional challenges

The protagonist in this movies is young Philip. He has chosen (or received) a career in a big consultancy company in Paris that specializes in restructuring company. He meets a girl in the Paris metro he fancies and they get together.

Throughout the movies Philip goes from feeling happy to feeling very frustrated. This movie is not about maniac managers, single mothers looking for a partner or regular people fearing redundancies.

Philip is the focus of this movie. Although occasionally we get a glimps of the secrets of the people Philip is dealing with the story is really about him and the relationships with them.

This boy is young and doesn't understand the people close to him. He doesn't understand his boss because his boss what to let Philip go through what he went through when he was he junior. His boss believes this is the only way to the top, which is where he wants Philip to end. In the end his boss gets his way not because he's good but because he is the only person Philip knows that has plans for him.

Philip doesn't understand his girlfriend. This director really got it right by showing the spectator what Philip apparently doesn't see. These moments make the movie very good.

Philip has to interview workers of a company he and his boss are restructuring. Philip can't deal with them because he doesn't know his own emotions very well. His boss helps him by putting him back on track after Philip wants to quit the mission. Although the movie doesn't show how his boss does this I bet he did it by telling Philip about the emotions Philip is feeling that prevent him from doing his right. Since Philip doesn't know his own emotions this probably impresses him so much that he agrees to continue although he wanted to quit. His boss offers Philip something he longs for but can't get to by himself - understanding his own emotions - so his boss becomes the most important person to Philip.

His girlfriend, her little daughter, her mother, the workers all loose something because Philip doesn't know how to deal with himself. This is truly a sad story but also a very good movie. You liked Dogville maybe you'll like this as well.