It Happened in Saint-Tropez (2013)

The brothers Zef and Roni are very different. In Paris, Zef's wife is buried about the same time as Roni's daughter is getting married. Zef's daughter unknowingly falls in love with Roni's daughter's fiance. Problems arise.

Director:

Danièle Thompson

Writers:

Danièle Thompson (scenario and adaptation), Christopher Thompson (scenario and adaptation)

Stars:

Eric Elmosnino, Lou de Laâge, Kad Merad

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Elmosnino	...	Zef Melkowich
Lou de Laâge	...	Noga Melkowich
Kad Merad	...	Roni Melkowich
Clara Ponsot	...	Melita Melkowich
Max Boublil	...	Sam
Monica Bellucci	...	Giovanna
Ivry Gitlis	...	Aron Melkowich
Valérie Bonneton	...	Clarisse Dorval / Irène Melkowich
Alexis Michalik	...	Daniel Touré
Christian Hecq	...	Monsieur Delbar
Hande Kodja	...	Louise
Ann Firbank	...	Dame anglaise
Jean-Michel Lahmi	...	Le rabbin
Richard Sammel	...	Monsieur Künze
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre	...	Frédérique, la journaliste (as Laure de Clermont)

Storyline

Zef's dear wife dies in an accident just as Roni, his wealthy brother, marries his daughter. When the widower arrives with the coffin containing his wife's body right in the middle of the preparations for the wedding feast, he naturally casts a chill. The tensions between the two brothers who have diametrically opposed characters soon aggravate. All is a pretext for conflict, occupations, women, religion...

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Plot Keywords:

wedding | f rated | brother brother relationship | reference to gina lollobrigida | grief | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Sam et Melita
by Stephen Warbeck
© 2013 Pathé Production / G Films

User Reviews

A setback for Danièle Thompson

Danièle Thompson CAN make good films, as evidenced by at least two of the few she directed (she is a much more prolific screenwriter than director), "Season's Beatings" (La bûche), the caustic portrait of a dysfunctional family artificially reunited for the inevitable Christmas party, and "Orchestra Seats" (Fauteuils d'orchestre), the bittersweet chronicle of a group of art lovers centering around a young waitress freshly arrived from her province. "Des gens qui s'embrassent", her last work to date, could - and should - have been added to the list of her achievements, as the subject she deals with is rich in dramatic and philosophical possibilities. By getting death into a wedding party (a celebration and a promise of life if any), which she already did in the script of Patrice Chéreau's "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train" (Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train"), Danièle Thompson gave herself the means of mixing the tragic with the comic, the profound with the superficial. Alas, "Des gens qui s'embrassent" promises much but delivers... almost nothing. To be frank, Danièle Thompson's last baby is no "Four Weddings and a Funeral", the perfect model of its type. Sure, one brother must bury his deceased wife just as the other one is marrying his daughter, but where is the fun ?, where is the insight ? Agreed, there is a confrontation between two Jewish brothers, one austere and rigorist (Éric Elmosnino), the other easy-going and profligate (Kad Merad), but the whole thing remains theoretical and superficial. The real trouble is that the writer- director seems much more fascinated by filming the glittering of the jet set lifestyle and of Saint-Tropez, its unavoidable safe haven, than by reflecting on life choices, as she should have. It is all the more regrettable as, though she had set "Orchestra Seats" in about the same background, she had had a much more critical and relevant approach. In the present case, there is not much to save in this unexciting mess. On the whole, "Des gens qui s'embrassent" is nothing but a blindingly obvious story suffused with photo story sentimentality and peopled by bland characters. The exceptions to this rule are a vivid scene on a train at the beginning of the film enlivened by the charm of Lou de Lâage, a wonderfully sensitive young actress, and the unexpected performance by the famous violin player Ivry Gitlis, who at he age of 90, has a ball in playing the eccentric grandfather losing his memory. Much too little to attract large audiences, the way the other Danièle Thompson movies did. The film quickly disappeared from the screens. For good reasons...

Details

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French English Italian

Release Date:

10 April 2013 (France)

Also Known As:

Aconteceu em Saint-Tropez

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,336,832

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé, G Films, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1