99 francs (2007)

Director:

Jan Kounen

Writers:

Nicolas & Bruno (screenplay) and
Jan Kounen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 September 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Drug | Sex Scene | Vomit Scene | Consumerism | Suicide Attempt

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jean Dujardin	...	Octave Parango
Jocelyn Quivrin	...	Charles 'Charlie' Dagout
Patrick Mille	...	Jean-François 'Jeff' Marolles
Vahina Giocante	...	Sophie
Elisa Tovati	...	Tamara
Nicolas Marié	...	Alfred Duler
Dominique Bettenfeld	...	Jean-Christian Gagnant
Antoine Basler	...	Marc Maronnier
Fosco Perinti	...	Giovanni Di Toro
Cendrine Orcier	...	Fabienne
Dan Herzberg	...	Steven
Arsène Mosca	...	Le dealer
Niels Dubost	...	Père Groobad
Aurélie Boquien	...	Mère Groobad
Mathis Jamet	...	Enfant Groobad

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

France:Unrated (with warning)

Company:

Arte France

Movie Connections:

Features Laveuses (1897)

Soundtrack:

Terrible Angels

Pydjhaman rules the world !

The first question that comes to mind when you ear about this project is : what the hell is Jan Kounen doing as a director of such a movie ? Jan Kounen was a french talented and trendy director of the 90's, just as his friend Matthieu Kassovitz. He released "Doberman" when Kasso brought "La Haine" on french screens. But after this violent/cartoon movie, Jan Kounen had discovered Shamanism while directing his experimental trip out of (the blues) "Blueberry" and then made a documentary about inner journey and other substantial trips. "99 Francs", on the other hand is an auto-fiction by the french intellectual bobo Beigbeider, that narrates his experience as a publicist in a satirical and fashionable style. So, my question was : what's the link between this director and this book and what the hell is Jan Kounen doing as a director of such a movie ?

First, from a factual point of view, Kounen and the main and incredibly credible actor of the movie, Jean Dujardin, have them-self been publicists, and decided to take the book as a starting point, and to go on completely different directions. Beigbeder, who appears several times in the movie, agreed to this betrayal. But this critic of the advertising world isn't the best part of the movie, and only seems to be a support for more experimental journey that only drugs can give.

The character of the movie inhales himself several time a gargantuesque quantity of cocaine, unknown pills and other drugs, that makes him have gigantic visions that the movie emphases. A large parts of the movie is just a description of absurd visions, that links the cartoon and trash violence of "Doberman" with the experimental form of "Bluebberry" in the funny and cool package of a critic of advertising and a large public comedy. The best part of "99 Francs" is to me an improbable escape to the tropical forest of "Bluebberry", with Jan 'Pydjhaman' Kounen like guide. If Yan Kounen defines is movie as the "Yogourt Fight Club", the film is also near from Gilliam's more experimental and crazy works.