Summer Things (2002)

Two couple of friends, one very rich the other almost homeless, decides to go on Holiday. Julie, a single mother, joins them too. Once at seaside, it starts a complicate love cross among ... See full summary »

Director:

Michel Blanc

Writers:

Michel Blanc, Joseph Connolly (book)

Stars:

Charlotte Rampling, Jacques Dutronc, Carole Bouquet

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlotte Rampling	...	Elizabeth Lannier
Jacques Dutronc	...	Bertrand Lannier
Carole Bouquet	...	Lulu
Michel Blanc	...	Jean-Pierre
Karin Viard	...	Véronique
Denis Podalydès	...	Jérôme
Clotilde Courau	...	Julie
Vincent Elbaz	...	Maxime
Lou Doillon	...	Emilie
Sami Bouajila	...	Kevin
Gaspard Ulliel	...	Loïc
Mélanie Laurent	...	Carole
Matthieu Boujenah	...	Romain
Mickaël Dolmen	...	Rena / Nanou
Barbara Kelsch	...	Pauline

Storyline

Two couple of friends, one very rich the other almost homeless, decides to go on Holiday. Julie, a single mother, joins them too. Once at seaside, it starts a complicate love cross among them that will involve also a transsexual, a jealous brother,a Latin Lover and another nervous stressed couple. Not to mention about the daughter of one of them that is secretly in Chicago with one of his father's employee... More, at the end of the summer all of them will join the same party...

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Plot Keywords:

seductive | hot | sex scene | sexy | sex comedy | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

France UK Italy

Language:

French English German Italian

Release Date:

9 October 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

Summer Things

Filming Locations:

Le Touquet, Pas-de-Calais, France

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,540,041 (France), 11 October 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC), UGC YM, Mercury Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Pretty typical French farce

This is a pretty typical French farce. As is in seemingly all French movies, most of the characters are on vacation at a beach resort (although one actually stays back at home working!). There are three middle age couples and their assorted children/step-children. Two of the women (Charlotte Rampling and Karen Viard) are long-time friends and they meet a third woman (carole Bouquet) with a VERY jealous husband at the resort. Viard and her husband have a new baby and financial troubles. There's a young woman (Clotilde Coreau) and a teenage boy, who are somebody's children (this movie has no English subs and my French leaves a lot to be desired). Another daughter (Lou Doillon) has gone on a separate vacation to Chicago with her father's hapless employee and she proves to be WAY more than he can handle. One of the married couples each have casual, breezy affairs. There's also the usual French May-December sexual encounter, but with gender roles reversed (older woman-younger man) and a transsexual.

I didn't really recognize most of the male cast, but the female cast here is quite impressive. Charlotte Rampling is a Brit actress, but since collaborating with Francois Ozon on a couple films, she has worked mostly in France the past decade or so. Carole Bouquet is a former Bond girl ("For Your Eyes Only") and ex-wife of Gerard Depardieu. She's had a long career in French film going all the way back to Luis Bunuel's last film, "That Obscure Object of Desire". Lou Doillon is the French daughter of another transplanted Brit actress, minor 60's sex symbol Jane Birkin, which would also make her the half-sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg. She is not as talented as her sibling, but she might be even more sexy, and she has pretty much all the erotic scenes here (of which there are surprisingly few for a French movie). Clotilde Coreau, on the other hand, might be most famous (well, with me anyway)for her hot and gratuitous lesbian scene in the bizarre French slasher film "Deep in the Woods", but most of her other French roles have been much more sedate and mainstream like the one here.

Of course, I would need to see this with English subs to fully appreciate it, but even in French it is pretty energetic and fun. If you generally like these French/continental bedroom farces, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one.