Mensonges et trahisons et plus si affinités... (2004)

Director:

Laurent Tirard

Writers:

Laurent Tirard (writer)
Grégoire Vigneron (writer)

Release Date:

8 September 2004 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Novel | Ghost Writer | Speed Dating | Cheating On Boyfriend | Romantic Rivalry

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Edouard Baer	...	Raphaël Jullian
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Muriel
Clovis Cornillac	...	Kevin
Alice Taglioni	...	Claire
Eric Berger	...	Jeff
Jean-Michel Lahmi	...	Max
Jean-Christophe Bouvet	...	L'éditeur
Raphaël Fuchs-Willig	...	Raphaël ado (as Raphaël Fuchs)
Édith Le Merdy	...	La mère du Juif (as Edith Le Merdy)
Valérie Moreau	...	La sage-femme
Dimitri Rafalsky	...	Le roi
Nuria Solé	...	La Top Model
David Marchal	...	Le mec 1
Xavier Vilsek	...	Le mec 2 (as Xavier Visek)
Catherine Salviat	...	La directrice littéraire

Also Known As:

Mensonges et trahisons (France) (short title)
The Story of My Life (Australia)
Un autre que moi (France) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Fidélité Productions

Quotes:

Muriel: Cowardice is the worst flaw in men, after mediocrity.

Movie Connections:

Features The Transporter (2002)

the existentialist crisis of a ghost writer in his early thirties...

Raphaël Jullian (Edouard Baer) is a specialist when it comes to pen biographies of trendy celebrities. But the least glorious part of his job is that he doesn't sign them when these books are published. As he's hired to write the life of a famous football player, Kevin (Clovis Cornillac), he discovers that the latter's girlfriend is one of his old loves! With the indecision that best characterizes him, he tries to win her back while jeopardizing both his relationship with his current girlfriend Muriel and his work for the football player.

The thing that seduced me the most in this droll comedy as one could wish, although the director Laurent Tirard inserted melancholic moments which never break the tone and the storytelling of the film is the things Raphaël and Kevin say about books dealing with celebrities. These books are written with short sentences and when the publication of one of these books is announced, it is bound to become a best-seller. And of course, in this film it will happen. These details are minor but when they surface, one can't help but smile listening to them. Everything revolving around them rings true as well as some aspects of Raphaël's job. I particular dig the moment when to illustrate a strong contrast, he tells the audience in a voice-over that his job partly consists in turning a gloomy childhood into a victorious life where dreams come true for a star.

With his witty lines and some good gags, Laurent Tirard's film also owes a lot to its actors. With his undetermined look, his inability to properly take a decision and assume it to the end, his awkward approach, Edouard Baer is a major asset for Tirard's film. He was the ideal man for this role unlike Claude Miller's versatile "Betty Fisher et Autres Histoires" (2001). And the direction of actors doesn't lie fallow. I was very taken with Marie-Josée Croze and the formidable sincerity she gave to her character Muriel. Clovis Cornillac is also well served with his football player Kevin who is as uncertain as Raphaël but on another basis. He doesn't know which style to confer to his biography! Why not "à la Charles Baudelaire"? Unless another idea comes to his mind...

The film showcases a scene which sums up best Raphaël's antsy state of mind: he's in his car on a street of Paris. The lights turn green but he doesn't move off and starts to cry. Not only because of Jeff's death but also because of the ghost life he leads in which he acts an impostor. It's high time he set out his stalls and a chain of unexpected events will unconsciously steer him towards his real direction...