99 francs (2007)

Director:

Jan Kounen

Writers:

Nicolas Charlet (screenplay) and
Bruno Lavaine (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 September 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Vomit | Scene After End Credits | Drug | Advertising | Money In Title

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
Max Bennett	...	Salaud #1
Dioucounda Koma	...	Salaud #2 (as Diouc Koma)
Joachim Staaf	...	Salaud #3
Anton Yakovlev	...	Salaud #4
Yongsou Cho	...	Salaud #5 (as Young Soo Cho)
Luis Martinez-Saiz	...	Salaud #6
Ana Bara	...	Maman supermarché
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fabrice Abraham	...	Fabrice
Diamilex Alexander	...	Christina
Alexandra Ansidei	...	Christèle
Cédric Barbereau	...	Cadre #2 gagnant
Frédéric Beigbeder	...	Badman
François Berléand	...	Le comédien dans la pub Eram (archive footage)
Cécile Breccia	...	Mannequin photo
Béruchet	...	Régisseur plateau photo
Rodolphe Chabrier	...	The sleeping guy with an heavy dick
David Clark	...	First Assistant Director
Jean-Félix Cuny	...	PDG Madone
David Daouda
Catherine Davenier	...	Mère Sophie
Rachel Desmarest	...	La Stagiaire (as Rachel Berger)
Karine Fellous	...	Madame Gagnant
Christophe Hatey	...	Jeune policier
Lexie Kendrick	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jan Kounen	...	Pydjhaman
Philippe Lamendin	...	Père Sophie
Titouan Laporte	...	Enfant gagnant
Cyril Lecomte
Nicky Marbot	...	Cuistot
Junko Murakami	...	Photo Shoot Caterer
Kristel Pegeot	...	Agent pub
Claude Petit	...	Le président
Tristan Petitgirard	...	Cadre # 1 gagnant
Grégory Ragot	...	Pubard 'La Ross'
Olivier Rosenberg	...	Seb
Anita Blond	...	Porn Actress (uncredited)
Matthieu Giovanardi	...	Policier (uncredited)
Julien Lecat	...	Un flic (uncredited)
Patrick Poivre d'Arvor	...	Himself (uncredited)
Rocco Siffredi	...	Porn Actor (uncredited)

Directed by
Jan Kounen

Writing credits
Nicolas Charlet		screenplay and dialogue (as Nicolas) and
Bruno Lavaine		screenplay and dialogue (as Bruno) and
Jan Kounen		screenplay
Frédéric Beigbeder		(novel)

Produced by
Rémi Burah	....	co-producer
Alain Goldman	....	producer
Marc Vadé	....	line producer

Original Music by
Jean-Jacques Hertz
François Roy

Cinematography by
David Ungaro		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Anny Danché

Casting by
Pierre-Jacques Bénichou
Mireya Guanipa

Production Design by
Michel Barthélémy

Set Decoration by
Boris Piot

Costume Design by
Chattoune

Makeup Department
Olivier Afonso	....	special makeup effects artist
Guillaume Castagné	....	special makeup effects artist
Nicolas Herlin	....	special makeup effects artist
Géraldine Lemaire	....	hair stylist
Diane Mahmoudi	....	hair stylist
Anne Moralis	....	wigmaker
Hue Lan Van Duc	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Alexandre Chalanset	....	assistant unit manager
Sandra Curiel	....	assistant production manager
Abraham Goldblat	....	post-production manager
Liz Mago Bosch	....	production manager: coordination
Alain Mougenot	....	unit production manager

Art Department
François Borgeaud	....	property master
Pascal Chevé	....	plasterer
Yannick Heuveline	....	carpenter
Pascal Leguellec	....	assistant art director
Jocelyn Mesle	....	additional ripper
Serge Peyron	....	locksmith
Boris Piot	....	set dresser
Nathalie Quéré	....	digital artist
Arnaud Roth	....	first assistant decorator
Nathalie Rousseau	....	assistant art director
Simon Tric	....	painter
François Willenz	....	digital artist

Sound Department
Nicolas Becker	....	foley artist
Nicolas Becker	....	sound designer
Mélanie Blouin	....	assistant re-recording engineer
Edouard d'Heucqueville	....	sound mix technician
Nicolas Dambroise	....	dialog editor
Assia Dnednia	....	assistant foley artist
Marc Doisne	....	adr engineer
Marc Doisne	....	foley engineer
Marc Doisne	....	sound re-recording mixer
Florian Fabre	....	assistant foley artist
Alain Féat	....	sound designer
Alain Féat	....	supervising sound editor
Jean-Paul Hurier	....	sound mixer
Laurent Lafran	....	sound recordist
Marc Mnémosyne	....	sound mix technician
Alexis Place	....	sound designer
Alexis Place	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Frédéric Lainé	....	special effects makeup

Visual Effects by
Alexandra Added	....	digital compositor
Adrien Borzakian	....	digital artist
Bertrand Breuze	....	digital artist
Stephanie Broussaud	....	Lustre assistant
Rodolphe Chabrier	....	visual effects supervisor
Fabien Coupez	....	flame compositor
Alex de Heus	....	motion control operator
Thibault Deloof	....	digital artist
Sebastien Gombeaud-Saintonge	....	Flame artist: Mac Guff Ligne, Paris
Jeremy Guetta	....	digital restoration
Jeremy Guetta	....	scanner operator
Amélie Guyot	....	matchmover
Daphnée Hong	....	animator
Abdel Ali Kassou	....	technical manager
Elodie Ly Tri	....	retouch and restoration
Peregrine McCafferty	....	matchmove artist
Alexandre Pluquet	....	digital compositor
Nicolas Rigaud	....	digital artist
Marion Roger	....	senior digital compositor
Antonin Seydoux	....	compositor
Patrick Siboni	....	digital compositor: Flame artist
David Tomaszewski	....	digital artist
Pènèlope Vandecave	....	senior digital compositor

Stunts
Rémi Canaple	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Rémi Canaple	....	stunts wire effects
Rémi Canaple	....	stunts
Alexandre Cauderlier	....	stunt double: Jean Dujardin
Alexandre Cauderlier	....	stunts wire effects
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunt coordinator
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunts wire effects
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunts
Gilles Conseil	....	stunts
Yan Dron	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Christophe Marsaud	....	stunts
Christophe Roblin	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Christophe Allain	....	additional assistant camera
Cécile Arthuis	....	video assistant
Marco Ballant	....	grip
Joan Bansillon	....	grip
Stéphane Duchemin	....	grip
Hugues Espinasse	....	focus puller
Grégori Gajéro	....	additional second assistant camera
Philippe Gibier	....	generator operator
Gregory Pagnier	....	assistant video
Julien Pamart	....	second assistant camera
Marie-Laure Prost	....	focus puller: "b" camera
Mathieu Ungaro	....	key grip
Frédéric Wormser	....	head first assistant camera

Animation Department
Julien Bizat	....	2d animator

Casting Department
Rachel Desmarest	....	casting assistant (as Rachel Berger)
Brigitte Fourcade	....	extras casting
Anne Fremiot	....	casting: South France
Marc Robert	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Claire Lacaze	....	key costumer
Morgane Lambert	....	wardrobe
Christine Marot	....	seamstress
Sylvie Ong	....	costume supervisor
Aurélie Rogemond	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Stephanie Broussaud	....	digital intermediate editor
Fabien Pascal	....	color timer
Fabien Pascal	....	colorist
Florent Vassault	....	first assistant editor
Reginald Gallienne	....	dailies color grader (uncredited)

Music Department
Benjamin Caillaud	....	music editor
Stéphane Reichart	....	music recordist
Clement Souchier	....	music synchronization

Transportation Department
Jalal Aqdim	....	action vehicle assistant coordinator
Charles Heidet	....	picture vehicle coordinator

Other crew
Séverine Barré	....	accountant: post-production
Sandra Cornevaux	....	press attache
Thomas Foncelle	....	lead render wrangler
Aurore Jactat	....	legal advisor
Virginie Le Pionnier	....	script supervisor
Sylvain Pioutaz	....	digital video operator
Céline Pupo	....	producer asst
Myriam Rak	....	legal department
Harmel Sbraire	....	coach: actors
Alexandra Schamis	....	press attache
Romain Tuilier	....	assistant to director

Thanks
Ridley Scott	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Légende Entreprises
• Film 99 Francs (co-production)
• Pathé (co-production)
• Arte France (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• Poste Image (in association with)
• Cofimage 18 (in association with)

Distributors

• Pathé (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Fox Pathé Europa (2008) (France) (DVD)
• Fox Pathé Europa (2009) (France) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• ACME (2008) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
• Alamode Film (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Best Film CO (2009) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Big Bang Distribution (2008) (Bulgaria) (theatrical)
• Central Partnership (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Equinoxe Films (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Filmladen (2008) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Folkets Bio (2009) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• EuroVideo (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Spentzos Film Home Video (2009) (Greece) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Mac Guff Ligne (visual effects)
• Duboicolor

Other Companies

• A. S. Communication  publicity
• Actions Movies  stunt equipment
• Konken Studios  sound post-production (German version)
• Locafête  catering
• Panavision France  cameras and lenses by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

France:U (with warning) | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:11 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Australia:MA | Germany:16

Company:

Légende Entreprises

Trivia:

Based on a novel with the same title by Frédéric Beigbeder.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Octave's version of the Starlight commercial is shown on television for the first time, the blob of yogurt on his eyebrow disappears and reappears between takes.

Movie Connections:

Features The Marionette (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Terrible Angels

An honest movie that gets tangled up in what it tries to point out

I never read the book of Beigbeder and so I was eager to see the movie after hearing many positive views on the book and knowing that the visuals of a Kounen Movie will be great. I didn't expect this movie to be so much of a comedy because the subject is rather tough. Anyway I think "99 francs" works really good on the level of a satire and it captures the deeply rooted cynicism that is implanted in the world of marketing and PR (in my opinion you can't work in this industry without becoming a total cynic) very well. I just loved the honesty in how the meetings and decisions were described as "masturbation" and how the main actors spend most of their time being high on drugs and their ego. Since the subject is so damn messed up I think approaching and ridiculing it with comedic elements made the movie more enjoyable. You will get many good laughs as well as following the comedy some direct punches to the stomach. All served in perfect visuals with loads of great ideas melting the flashbacks and development of main character Jean Dujarding together. The movie starts of practically with its end and then fast-rewinding to the beginning of how Jean ended up in Marketing but Jeans back story is shown in a very superficial way. You don't really know too much of him and rather see him on his job with his over-the-top cynic boss Marc and his slacker colleague Charlie. Like in every movie it takes a woman in the form of trainee Tamara to get the humanity out of Jeans character. They start an affair but when Tamara gets pregnant things get too serious and Jeans cynical world starts to implode leading to more and more harsh pictures breaking up the colorful advertising world.

Until the first ending I think the movie already made its point by presenting a fake world of cynics with their ridiculous everyday life and how they feel like gods. Unfortunately someone had the messed up idea of presenting the movie with an alternate ending, so you get a very long second version... I get the idea of making fun of how things usually turn out in Hollywood movies and in a perfect ad-world but I think 99francs really messes up its whole intention. Guess what, you get an alternative ending in which Jean finds his humanity and moves to a tropical island finding his peace and love. Yes, we know that advertising and Hollywood clichés are superficial but that point was made before and by playing with the rules even when making fun of them the movie gets entangled in what it wants do criticize and to my understanding falls flat on his face, not even stopping from letting you leave the movie with a preachy message printed on the screen.

Its kind of like making the whole movie again and then telling the viewer what to think and in that its more of what it criticizes than it was supposed to be. That is really a shame because the movie is filled with eye openers and visual gimmicks that make it fun to watch (although the last part kind of dragged for me). So still "99francs" is recommended viewing especially for everyone who doesn't work in or near the marketing industry. But I wished the movie left the viewer with a hard and direct punch to the face and thoughts spinning in his head to come to his own conclusion and not some "hahaha"-fun ending with a preachy moral presented like in a "World Aid" spot.