La Californie
CANNES -- For the first three quarters of the movie, "La Californie" is a wonderfully old-fashioned French soap opera bordering on camp. Then the filmmaker spoils the fun by turning his movie into a serious crime story. The filmmaker is Jacques Fieschi, a well-known and prolific screenwriter, who makes his directing debut here. His script is based on a Georges Simenon novel, updated to present day with its very modern characters living dissolute, careless lives in a hillside area above Cannes known as La Californie.
With such popular stars as Nathalie Baye, Roschdy Zem and Ludivine Sagnier topbilled, the film will play well here when released in September. Elsewhere it falls between the cracks -- certainly not art house but not a comedy or crime thriller either despite elements of each.
Baye is delightfully flamboyant as Maguy, an aging woman of many indulgences, living on a rapidly dwindling bank account in a luxury villa and covering the expenses for a household full of companions. There are two Serb servants with dubious pasts Mirko (Zem) and Stephan (Radivoje Bukvic). She has taken both to bed but it's Mirko she longs for in an increasingly desperate fashion.
Katia (Mylene Demongeot) is a kindred spirit in Maguy's restless partying. A devoted gay couple, Francis Xavier De Guillebon) and Doudou (Antoine Bibiloni), are responsible for pulling Maguy together each morning and fixing meals.
Then Helene (Sagnier), the daughter Maguy deserted when a child, turns up and throws the household into a tizzy. The guilty Magay willingly gives Helene what's left of her money to start a business in Paris. Mirko lusts after her, but it's Helene and Stephan who fall in love. This causes great jealousy on Mirko part. He plots to sabotage the relationship.
The Serbian element now takes over the narrative as Stephan and then Mirko return to their homeland to confront their shadowy past, which causes the melodrama to take much too serious a turn and drain the outrageous fun from the movie.
The actors are all committed to these characters, making them all true to themselves even if collectively they are over the top. Production values, especially Jerome Almeras' prowling camera, are aces.
The use of off-season Cannes as a locale amused festival goers in these last few wearying days especially the line "I'm tired of Cannes. I'm leaving." Many in the audience agreed with that sentiment.
LA CALIFORNIE
Rectangle Productions/Thelma Films/StudioCanal/France 3 Cinema
Credits:
Writer/director: Jacques Fieschi
Based on a novel by: Geoges Simenon
Producer: Christian Gozlan, Edouard Weil
Director of photography: Jerome Almeras
Production designer: Alain Tchillinguirian
Music: Mino Cinelu
Costumes: Catherine Bouchard
Editor: Luc Barnier.
Cast:
Maguy: Nathalie Baye
Mirko: Roschdy Zem
Helene: Ludivine Sagnier
Katia: Mylene Demongeot
Stephan:Radivoje Bukvic
Francis: Xavier de Guillebon
Lila: Carole Ducey
Doudou: Antoine Bibiloni
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 117 minutes...
With such popular stars as Nathalie Baye, Roschdy Zem and Ludivine Sagnier topbilled, the film will play well here when released in September. Elsewhere it falls between the cracks -- certainly not art house but not a comedy or crime thriller either despite elements of each.
Baye is delightfully flamboyant as Maguy, an aging woman of many indulgences, living on a rapidly dwindling bank account in a luxury villa and covering the expenses for a household full of companions. There are two Serb servants with dubious pasts Mirko (Zem) and Stephan (Radivoje Bukvic). She has taken both to bed but it's Mirko she longs for in an increasingly desperate fashion.
Katia (Mylene Demongeot) is a kindred spirit in Maguy's restless partying. A devoted gay couple, Francis Xavier De Guillebon) and Doudou (Antoine Bibiloni), are responsible for pulling Maguy together each morning and fixing meals.
Then Helene (Sagnier), the daughter Maguy deserted when a child, turns up and throws the household into a tizzy. The guilty Magay willingly gives Helene what's left of her money to start a business in Paris. Mirko lusts after her, but it's Helene and Stephan who fall in love. This causes great jealousy on Mirko part. He plots to sabotage the relationship.
The Serbian element now takes over the narrative as Stephan and then Mirko return to their homeland to confront their shadowy past, which causes the melodrama to take much too serious a turn and drain the outrageous fun from the movie.
The actors are all committed to these characters, making them all true to themselves even if collectively they are over the top. Production values, especially Jerome Almeras' prowling camera, are aces.
The use of off-season Cannes as a locale amused festival goers in these last few wearying days especially the line "I'm tired of Cannes. I'm leaving." Many in the audience agreed with that sentiment.
LA CALIFORNIE
Rectangle Productions/Thelma Films/StudioCanal/France 3 Cinema
Credits:
Writer/director: Jacques Fieschi
Based on a novel by: Geoges Simenon
Producer: Christian Gozlan, Edouard Weil
Director of photography: Jerome Almeras
Production designer: Alain Tchillinguirian
Music: Mino Cinelu
Costumes: Catherine Bouchard
Editor: Luc Barnier.
Cast:
Maguy: Nathalie Baye
Mirko: Roschdy Zem
Helene: Ludivine Sagnier
Katia: Mylene Demongeot
Stephan:Radivoje Bukvic
Francis: Xavier de Guillebon
Lila: Carole Ducey
Doudou: Antoine Bibiloni
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 117 minutes...
- 5/9/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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