What's in a Name? (2012)

Vincent is about to become a father. At a meeting with childhood friends he announces the name for his future son. The scandalous name ignites a discussion which surfaces unpleasant matters from the past of the group.

Directors:

Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte

Writers:

Matthieu Delaporte, Alexandre de La Patellière

Stars:

Patrick Bruel, Valérie Benguigui, Charles Berling

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Patrick Bruel	...	Vincent
Valérie Benguigui	...	Élisabeth
Charles Berling	...	Pierre
Guillaume de Tonquédec	...	Claude (as Guillaume de Tonquedec)
Judith El Zein	...	Anna
Françoise Fabian	...	Françoise
Yaniss Lespert	...	Livreur pizza
Miren Pradier	...	Infirmière bracelet
Alexis Leprisé	...	Apollin (as Alexis Leprise)
Juliette Levant	...	Myrtille
Bernard Murat	...	L'obstétricien
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fanny Thiennot	...	Student

Storyline

A father-to-be and his very pregnant wife are invited for dinner by his sister and his brother-in-law. The setting is an upper-middle-class apartment in Paris. When the expecting parents reveal they intend to name their son "Adolphe", everyone else at the dinner is speechless. The situation eventually gets out of hand, when no one can come to an understanding, and everyone starts unearthing old rivalries and unspoken issues.

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Plot Keywords:

name | baby name | giving birth | birth | first person narration | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 December 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

What's in a Name?

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chapter 2, Pathé, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is mentioned several times that Claude is the first trombone at the philharmonic orchestra of radio France, yet in the two scenes he appears at the orchestra he is seated at the second trombone's seat.

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Goofs

(at around 40 mins) Claude turns down the volume of the stereo, but he is turning on the wrong wheel - it's not the amplifier but the cassette recorder.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits only the first names of the actors, producers, directors... are written.

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Connections

Remade as Der Vorname (2018)

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Soundtracks

Vanina
(French version of "Runaway")
Written by Del Shannon and Max Crook, French lyrics by Patrick Loiseau

User Reviews

Good

Mix of Un Air de Famille by Klapisch and Carnage by Polanski, Le Prénom is clearly divided in two parts: the first is pure comedy oriented, whereas the second is more drama focused.

The problem is that those two parts aren't homogeneous: the beginning is very good, dynamic, the dialogues fly, the humour is really present and the viewer is quickly sucked in. Unfortunately, the more the film progresses, the more the comical aspect is left aside, and the more the movie loses interest. The script goes thought bland and uninteresting passages, and we are served a dramatic aspect that isn't the most exciting one, which is disappointing in comparison to the thundering start.

A fifteen minute cut, mostly from the second part, could have also improved the overall rhythm of the movie.

Special mention to the cast who was very good and showed a great chemistry.