Microbe & Gasoline (2015)

Two young friends embark on a road trip across France in a vehicle they built themselves.

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writer:

Michel Gondry

Stars:

Ange Dargent, Théophile Baquet, Diane Besnier

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ange Dargent	...	Daniel
Théophile Baquet	...	Théo (as Theophile Baquet)
Diane Besnier	...	Laura
Audrey Tautou	...	Marie-Thérèse
Vincent Lamoureux	...	Steve
Agathe Peigney	...	Agathe
Douglas Brosset	...	Oscar
Charles Raymond	...	Kevin
Ferdinand Roux-Balme	...	Simon
Marc Delarue	...	Romain
Ely Penh	...	Le chef de bande
Laurent Poitrenaux	...	Le dentiste
Jana Bittnerová	...	Madame Leloir (as Jana Bittnerova)
Zimsky	...	Monsieur Leloir
Fabio Zenoni	...	Christian

Storyline

Two young friends embark on a road trip across France in a vehicle they built themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to thomas muller | reference to zlatan ibrahimovic | character names as title | nicknames as title | three word title | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sex-related material involving young teens

Did You Know?

Trivia

Theo urges Daniel to enter a drawing contest for kids though he's overage, since he looks much younger with his "gueule d'ange d'argent" ("silver angel face"). Daniel is performed by young actor Ange Dargent so the joke about his face is true on more than one level.

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Connections

Spoofs Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990)

User Reviews

Sweet natured French road trip comedy

Microbe is the nickname for Daniel as he is the smallest in his class. A thinker and a bit of an artist he doesn't really fit in all that well with the other kids. Then one day a new boy starts school. This is Theo and he has to help his father in his shop, so turns up at school smelling of petrol – and thereby gets the nickname 'Gasoline'. They know they are unappreciated in a sea of mediocrity with their fellow class mates but can not think what to do about it.

However Theo is also a bit of a mechanic and they hit upon the great – if unoriginal idea – to run away; or rather drive away from home. What follows is a very entertaining and engaging road trip of a movie but with an awful lot of differences and some great performances too.

This is well made and does have some laugh out loud moments but it is not a rip roarin comedy extravaganza. That said I really enjoyed it – director Michel Gondry manages to capture that fleeting innocence and anomie that causes kids to bond with each other – recommended to fans of European cinema and those who just like a feel good film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

France

Language:

French Japanese

Release Date:

8 July 2015 (France)

Also Known As:

Microbe & Gasoline

Filming Locations:

Versailles, Yvelines, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,882, 3 July 2016

Gross USA:

$63,802

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$303,787

Company Credits

Production Co:

Partizan, StudioCanal, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1