Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008)

Astérix and Obélix compete at the Olympics in order to help their friend Lovesix marry Princess Irina. Brutus also tries to win the game with his own team and get rid of his father Julius Caesar.

Directors:

Frédéric Forestier, Thomas Langmann

Writers:

René Goscinny (comic book), Albert Uderzo (comic book)

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Clovis Cornillac, Benoît Poelvoorde

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Depardieu	...	Obélix
Clovis Cornillac	...	Astérix
Benoît Poelvoorde	...	Brutus
Alain Delon	...	Jules Cesar
Vanessa Hessler	...	Princesse Irina
Franck Dubosc	...	Assurancetourix
José Garcia	...	Couverdepus
Stéphane Rousseau	...	Alafolix
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Panoramix
Elie Semoun	...	Omega
Alexandre Astier	...	Mordicus
Santiago Segura	...	Docteurmabus
Michael Herbig	...	Pasunmotdeplus (as Michael Bully Herbig)
Bouli Lanners	...	Samagas
Jérôme Le Banner	...	Claudius Cornedurus (as Jerôme Le Banner)

Storyline

Astérix and Obélix compete at the Olympics in order to help their friend Lovesix marry Princess Irina. Brutus also tries to win the game with his own team and get rid of his father Julius Caesar.

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Plot Keywords:

based on comic book | gaul | race | live action | magical potion | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Obélix (Gérard Depardieu) plays the role of Cyrano, creating love poems for his friend's girlfriend in a scene of the movie. Gérard Depardieu portrayed the character of Cyrano in the film Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

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Goofs

While it is stated (and shown) near the end that whoever used the tainted magic potion has a blue tongue, a few minutes earlier when Brutus has already drank the potion, his mouth is wide open when he is holding on to the reins and his tongue is clearly visible for a while. It is not blue though.

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Connections

References Gladiator (2000)

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Soundtracks

All We Need
Performed by D.J. Abdel, Big Ali and Loïs Andréa

User Reviews

Not as bad as I'd thought it would be

No, it's not *good*, I won't go that far. When you think of what it *could* have been, you feel cheated. The remarks listed in reviews stand: the focus isn't always there, the supposedly main character was relegated to being mere support, the pacing is often off - for example, the chariot race manages to look way less exciting than it should be, so one can speculate where the fault lies - the camera-work, the editing... I think it's the direction. The director(s) and the producer(s) went to create a film for about a bazillion types of audiences (and I don't blame them, when there are 70+ million Euros to justify and return) but that's a pretty tough goal. It worked for the original comic where the kids get the gags and the subtle education, and the adults get the clever wordplay and densely packed historical, literary, and other references, but this doesn't mean it will necessarily work in another medium. So there are too many plots (patched together from several Astérix books - this was the demise of the first film too, so future takers, learn!), too many people to satisfy, and too many actors and celebrities. To hold all those egos in check one needs a stronger director or team than the newbies (sorry, but it's true) this film had. I have the impression that they went with the idea that if they throw enough money and enough famous names into the cauldron the film will make itself, but, eh, no. This film desperately needed somebody who could shape it better because it's obvious where things were cut (some scenes make no sense) and they should have used the *titular character* a lot more. It must be said however that for an amusing night's out it's a perfectly fine piece of entertainment. We laughed quite a lot. Depardieu and Delon deliver, Poelvoorde is a comedian I'd not heard of before but now I'm interested in his other work, and as for the new Astérix - Clovis Cornillac - well, he got the character down to a T: he's too tall and a little too fit, sure, but he looks pretty darn much like the guy in the comic book and he moves and talks just like him. I'd never seen a fictional character recreated with such essential accuracy and since this must be even more difficult when the source material is based on grotesque and exaggeration, this is quite an achievement. Hopefully, Mr Cornillac will have (and accept) another chance to play in an Astérix film, this time with a bigger role.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Hungary]

Country:

France Germany Spain Italy Belgium

Language:

French Portuguese

Release Date:

13 June 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asterix at the Olympic Games

Filming Locations:

Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

EUR78,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$131,856,927

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Renn Productions, La Petite Reine, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1