Palais royal! (2005)

A comedy set in the world of European royalty.

Director:

Valérie Lemercier

Writers:

Brigitte Buc, Valérie Lemercier

Stars:

Valérie Lemercier, Lambert Wilson, Catherine Deneuve

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Valérie Lemercier	...	Princesse Armelle
Lambert Wilson	...	Prince Arnaud
Catherine Deneuve	...	Eugénia
Michel Aumont	...	René-Guy
Mathilde Seigner	...	Laurence
Denis Podalydès	...	Titi
Michel Vuillermoz	...	Prince Alban
Gisèle Casadesus	...	Reine mère Alma
Gilbert Melki	...	Bruno, le coach
Maurane	...	Maurane
Véronique Barrault	...	Frédérique Dianausoa, la journaliste de Londres
Etienne Chicot	...	Le photographe Olah !
Pierre Vernier	...	Monsieur l'Ambassadeur
Franck de la Personne	...	Le ministre de la santé
Michel Fortin	...	Le paparazzi Ikéa #1

Storyline

Eugenia is the queen of an imaginary European country. When her husband dies, quite unexpectedly, the country is left without a king. According to the law, the new king needs to be married so that leaves out the eldest son. Her youngest son, Prince Arnaud is married to the lovely Armelle and they have two young children. They become the future rulers of the kingdom.

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Plot Keywords:

local blockbuster

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 November 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Den kongelige familie

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,985,385 (France) (2 December 2005)

Gross:

$28,847,825 (Europe) (30 December 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont, Rectangle Productions, Les Films du Dauphin

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Visa d'exploitation en France: #110613

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Connections

Spoofed in Beauties at War (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Stille Nacht"
Written by Joseph Mohr (1816)
Composed by Franz X. Gruber (1818)

User Reviews

a great comedy

First of all, I am a huge fan of Valérie Lemercier! She's been entertaining us for nearly 20 years and she's still surprising us yet. "Palais Royal !" is her third work as a director, and it is the funniest. Her previous two efforts were good, but with this one, she proves herself as a great writer.

The storyline is very simple : After the King dies, her husband (played by the always classy Lambert Wilson) is destined to take the crown, and her to become part of a world she doesn't really know of. As you can see, the plot is very basic, but what shows Lemercier's cleverness is her ability to laugh at the clichés and the explore every little details of her characters. Her screenplay is full of subtle jokes and plays of words - some can regret that a few jokes are a bit... vulgar, but always very funny if you can understand the double meanings.

As for the actors, we have a royal cast here: Queen Catherine Deneuve (who's never been so funny), the sarcastic Michel Aumont and the hilarious Gilbert Melki, among others (all are very good). Last but not least, Valerie Lemercier shows us one more time she's a gifted actress by handling all the versatility of her character.

"Palais Royal !" is the best French comedy of the year !