The French Kissers (2009)

A coming-of-age tale about an adolescent boy and his efforts to fit in amongst a varied cast of characters.

Director:

Riad Sattouf

Writers:

Riad Sattouf, Marc Syrigas

Stars:

Vincent Lacoste, Anthony Sonigo, Alice Tremolière

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Lacoste	...	Hervé
Anthony Sonigo	...	Camel
Alice Tremolière	...	Aurore
Julie Scheibling	...	Laura
Robin Nizan-Duverger	...	Benjamin
Baptiste Huet	...	Loïc
Simon Barbery	...	Mohamed
Meryl Andreys	...	Camille
Noémie Lvovsky	...	La mère d'Hervé
Valeria Golino	...	La fille de la vidéo
Irène Jacob	...	La mère d'Aurore
Emmanuelle Devos	...	La directrice
Marjane Satrapi	...	La vendeuse du magasin de musique
Christophe Vandevelde	...	Le père d'Hervé
Yanig Samot	...	Le beau-père d'Hervé (as Yannig Samot)

Storyline

A coming-of-age tale about an adolescent boy and his efforts to fit in amongst a varied cast of characters.

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Plot Keywords:

coming of age | teenage boy | friendship between boys | mother son relationship | first sexual experience | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Pathé Distribution [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

10 June 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

The French Kissers

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films des Tournelles, Pathé, Cinémage 3

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Summer Special 2009/10 (2009)

User Reviews

A sincere and naturalistic look at junior high first romance

First off, let me point out that this movie is by no means a french halfassed version of "super bad" (which I do love)or "American Pie", not that this movie is better (well actually it is way better than "American pie"!), it's just different, it's almost documentary style, but not as much as "The class", by the end of the movie, which is quite wonderful, because it miraculously mixes the bleakness of men's condition and the natural optimism and resilience of a young man who knows he has his life in front of him, you care for the characters, you hurt with them, way more than in American movie I've seen recently about similar subjects. I think the reason why is the sincerity of the director, who tackles every subjects, such as every day racism, misogyny, masturbation, the relationship between a adolescent and their parents, with a candour that would be deemed unacceptable by American audiences, anyway I guess. So this movie is extremely funny, the hero even has a Micheal Cera quality to him, but with less mannerisms, and it's impossible not to identify with the two main characters. So in conclusion,it is both a funny, beautiful and deeply nostalgic film about the transformation of a child into a man, if you will. Try not to miss it, but unless you live in France...well, wait for the DVD then !