Happily Ever After (2004)

Is the love compatible with coupledom? And what of freedom and fidelity? These are some of the questions facing two married men.

Director:

Yvan Attal

Writer:

Yvan Attal

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sébastien Vidal

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	L'inconnu
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Gabrielle
Sébastien Vidal	...	Thibault
Yvan Attal	...	Vincent
Chloé Combret	...	Chloé
Christiane Oui-Oui	...	La femme de chambre
Alain Cohen	...	Fred
Carolina Gynning	...	Zoé
Alain Chabat	...	Georges
Ben Attal	...	Joseph
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Nathalie
Kitu Gidwani	...	Mme Gibson
Sujay Sood	...	M. Gibson
Ruben Marx	...	Antoine
Jérôme Bertin	...	Le client du garage

Storyline

What makes a marriage? Georges and Natalie argue and shout constantly; Fred, a bachelor playboy approaching 50, sleeps with many women, loving them all, living with none. Vincent, nearing 40, best friend of Georges and Fred, is married to Gabrielle and they have a son. He keeps his feelings to himself. He and Gabrielle are playful and passionate with each other, then bored and detached. Is Vincent holding back, and if so, why? A colleague accuses him of believing in romantic fairy tales. Gabrielle imagines them separated. Are the basics of life women working and men chasing skirts? Is marriage the alternative to possibilities?

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Plot Keywords:

hot | sex scene | drinking from a bottle | cartoon on tv | woman wears a bikini | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Yvan Attal play parents to their real-life son Ben Attal.

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Quotes

Georges: [subtitled version]
[after walking in on someone else's wife]
Georges: I got the wrong door. Not like it's a crime! I got the wrong door. Let's call the police. "You're surrounded. You got the wrong door.

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Connections

References Germinal (1993)

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Soundtracks

Can't Help Falling in Love
Written by George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

Grew on me.

I found I liked this admittedly sometimes uneven French comedy/drama about love, marriage and fidelity much more the 2nd time around.

Yes, there are still moments that are banal and cliché'. And yes some of the supporting characters tend towards stereotypes.

But there's a life and a playfulness to the film, an almost delirious sense of energetic film- making, peppered with both a truly odd but effective Johnny Depp cameo, and some great rock songs popping up along the way.

The basic story exploring the inherent rockiness of marriage may be old hat, but the cinematic approach and the performances (especially Charlotte Gainsbourg's irresistible young wife and mother) make many of the old ideas often feel new.

A film of memorable moments; sexy, complicated, funny and sad. Much like love it can bit over sweet, or painful, but is very worth the time

Details

Official Sites:

Kino International Pathé Distribution [France]

Country:

France

Language:

Italian French English

Release Date:

25 August 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Happily Ever After

Filming Locations:

Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,218,759

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hirsch, Pathé Renn Productions, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1