Chouchou (2003)

A North African immigrant to Paris gets work and finds romance despite his scatty character.

Director:

Merzak Allouache

Writers:

Merzak Allouache, Gad Elmaleh (original stage sketch)

Stars:

Gad Elmaleh, Alain Chabat, Claude Brasseur

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gad Elmaleh	...	Choukri, alias Chouchou
Alain Chabat	...	Stanislas de la Tour-Maubourg
Claude Brasseur	...	Père Léon
Roschdy Zem	...	Frère Jean
Catherine Frot	...	Le docteur Nicole Milovavovich
Julien Courbey	...	Yekea
Arié Elmaleh	...	Vanessa
Yacine Mesbah	...	Djamila
Micheline Presle	...	La mère de Stanislas
Jacques Sereys	...	Le père de Stanislas
Michaël Youn	...	Le transformiste brésilien
Stéphane Boucher	...	L'inspecteur Grégoire
Olivia Dessolin	...	L'apparition
Anne Marivin	...	La vendeuse supermarché
Jean-Paul Comart	...	Le commissaire Molino

Storyline

Chouchou has just arrived in Paris from his home in North Africa. He is scatty and unworldly, and tries to get a bed for the night by spinning an implausible line about being a refugee from the Chilean dictator Pinochet. He is fortunate, because a kindly priest (Father Leon) in a working class suburb has some sympathy for him, and takes him in for a few nights. Father Leon also gets him a job with a lady psychoanalyst, Dr Milovavich, and the job is as receptionist and cleaner. Chouchou does the cleaning in a woman's dustcoat and when Dr Milovavich asks him what he would most like in the world, he replies that he would love to be a woman from head to toe. Dr M. is unabashed by this revelation, and tells him that from tomorrow he can come to work as a woman, Mlle Chouchou. He takes her at her word, and is startlingly convincing the next day, with good female body language, although let down by a marked dark beard shadow. Soon the doctor has to go away for a couple of days on business, ...

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Plot Keywords:

bar | immigrant | reference to the virgin mary | pigalle | paris france | 

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Taglines:

Le rencontrer c'est l'aimer !

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

19 March 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

Chouchou em Apuros

Filming Locations:

Evry, Essonne, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,801,572 (France), 21 March 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+,Fechner Audiovisuel,France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

Several deleted scenes are shown during the credits.

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Connections

References Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

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Soundtracks

C'est la ouate
Performed by Caroline Loeb

User Reviews

Delightful Gad :)

Just as Gad Elmaleh's sense of humor, this comedy is light and poetic. Dealing with serious subjects such as homo and transsexuality, immigration, integration, without ever falling into the usual clichés, always thinking positive. Plus hearing Gad faking a moroccan accent is so nice, like he often does in his one man shows. Reminds me of my moroccan friends... It creates many occasions for smart and funny puns with the french language. That's so his style.

Alain Chabat is excellent as usual, what a Prince Charming he makes, lol ! Liked Catherine Frot and Claude Brasseur too. I don't know why I expected them to become mean with Chouchou any minute, but they were adorable too. Roschdy Zem in an unusual role, he was great too.

This is not the best comedy ever, but I really liked the light tone and originality. Cute.