User reviews

Now THIS is what summer movies should be! As perfect as the best chocolate soufflé, light and airy on your tongue, with a taste that lingers only as long as it's in your mouth. The best part is that once consumed, you will even respect yourself in the morning. And like all good foreign films, you will suddenly find yourself forgetting that it even has subtitles! Marc (the stunningly handsome Melki) has bought his family to the gorgeous seaside villa of his childhood, inherited from one of his aunts. Understanding and vivacious wife Beatrix (Bruni-Tedeschi), typically rebellious son Charly (Torres) and headstrong daughter Laura (Seyvecou) all find themselves enjoying their sunny sojourn (or not) for various reasons; Laura conveniently takes off for the week with her hunky biker boyfriend; Charly's enjoying "hot showers" just a little too much, especially when his own buddy Martin (Collin) shows up to spend time with the family, (but most especially with Charly, who may or may not be the love of his life--or at least the summer), and Beatrix is perfectly content to make time with her hot hubby, while both are under the influence of "violets," a particular kind of mussel that seems to light an amorous fire under them both.

Ah, but what would a French family sex comedy of errors be without a few secrets? Besides the one about Charly and Martin NOT being lovers, (but just try telling his cynical dad that!), there's Beatrix's side man, Mathieu, (Bonnaffe), who must be given credit for a funny and surprisingly sexy performance as the most average-looking 'other guy' I've seen in many moons, and Luc Besson favorite Jean Marc Barr as the studly, horny 'island plumber' Didier, who has more than a vested interest in Marc and his family, adding more comic calamity to the chaos that eventually ensues.

To say more would spoil some of the sassy and silly delights that await those looking for something different but not serious, which even includes a couple of musical numbers (!).

This was showing at the One In Ten Pride Film Festival in D.C., which was an excellent venue for it. The English title for it is "Cote d'Azure," but by any name, it's still more worth your time than half the American crap that's clogging up multiplexes right this minute. So, quick! Catch this one before they remake it and stick some lameoid graduates from the Disney channel into it...or try to cast Robin Williams as the father (YIKES!)

COTE D'AZUR is a simply charming romantic comedy. A family of four escapes for a summer vacation at a seaside villa and find that romantic adventures are the main excursion. The film's director provides a light, magical tone that allows enchantment and reality to mix effortlessly. The performances are all first rate as well, giving us a realistic family unit without sacrificing individuality. The plot is both original and surprising, taking both the viewer and the characters in unexpected directions. The balance here is superb. Even a detour into musical comedy fits neatly into the fabric of this likable film. Credits roll over a surreal song and dance that will have the viewer wishing they, too, were visiting the COTE D'AZUR.

Just plain fun. This French semi-farce lends a fresh Mediterranean breeze to the gay film genre. Sexuality issues are discussed with tongue-in-cheek simplicity. Tolerance vs. intolerance. Yet the complexity of human sexual desires is well illustrated in colorful situations and funny plot twists. I believe the French can do a movie like this one well, while Americans would simply fall into a deep trench of camp. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who plays the mother of the central family, plays a real character with depth and range of feeling, despite her periodic flights into goofy simplicity. Gilbert Melki, who plays the father, handles his layered character well, with minor camp slippage along the way. American audiences might have some discomfort with age issues in the film, but that has more to do with American ageism and Puritanism than any flaw in this film. Jean-Marc Barr puts in a good performance as the ultimate dream butch daddy, French style. Fun, lite and yet worthwhile. Old Europe still has much to teach Americans about making movies.

This film is about a family's summer holiday in the south of France turning into a series of shocks, when their secrets of their love lives are revealed.

"Mariscos Beach", as this film is called in Hong Kong, is a lighthearted and funny film. The plot needs no crude or gross jokes, it just makes people laugh by surprises. I find it funny when the parents behave more rebelliously than their teenage son! The drama side of the plot, which involves the family tension and the relationship between husband and wife is also engaging. "Mariscos Beach" is a film about acceptance, finding one's true self and loving each other despite differences. It made me smile from my heart.

Tried the movie site itself (French) and could get a Karaoke version of main song but difficult to write if a non-native French speaker. Is there written music for this??? No credit was give for music in the listings. Loved the scenery and the beginning credits were very creative. There was choreography also (no credit for this either??) Enjoyed as the plot twisted and turned, lots of surprises, very very sexy and French. Would not recommend to conservatives as it could be very offensive. A great fantasy movie and fun summer vacation movie. It would definitely while a way some summer doldrums. Gave me some ideas for writing about a hotel shower and all the things it has seen with all the guests visiting it!

The French have always been able to take issues involving sexuality, fidelity, relationships, and youth and create a healthy fun discussion: Hollywood still has problems even approaching these subjects, much less allowing itself to be lighthearted and universal. 'Crustaces et coquillages' (COTE D'AZUR) is a little French film that addresses these subjects in a manner so light and fun that the viewer wonders what all the puritanical fuss is about! It is summer on the Cote d'Azur and a fun couple Marc (Gilbert Melki) and Béatrix (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) are vacationing in a wonderful beach house with their teenage kids Charly (Romain Torres) and Laura (Sabrina Seyvecou) where Marc lived as a youth. Laura immediately takes off to Portugal with her biker boyfriend and Charly spends his days with his friend Martin (Edouard Collin), an openly gay teenager who is in love with Charly. Beatrix observes the boys' interactions and decides her son is gay, a fact that doesn't bother her at all but that seems to cause problems for Marc. Béatrix's lover Mathieu arrives on the scene, declaring his desire for Beatrix to leave Marc: Beatrix isn't so sure - she loves Marc and her family, but also wants her summer lover.

In a series of hilarious shower sequences Charly pleasures himself, and indeed the entire crew in the house does the same, and Martin's advances to Charly are rebuffed forcing Martin to seek outlet at the beach's notorious fort section. Marc decides to thwart Charly's excessive 'use' of the shower and unplugs the hot water. Charly calls a plumber Didier (Jean-Marc Barr), who just happens to be the hunky ex-lover of Marc, having had a gay affair before Marc married Beatrix. In following each other around, Charly discovers Martin and Didier and then Marc and Didier en flagrant and then walks in on Beatrix and Mathieu: everyone's secret is out! But instead of a disaster, the cast suddenly breaks into a silly showbiz musical number blaming all the infidelities and facets of love on the 'violets' (the aphrodisiac of oysters!). It is a cuckoo ending and would have been a better film without it, but the acting is all so rich and fine and the story is so well told, that this little diversion can be excused. This is a fun fling, with a superb cast having a good time (especially the extraordinarily gifted Valeria Bruni Tedeschi). The story makes us laugh and think - all in a setting that is like a dream vacation! Enjoy and have fun! Grady Harp

Poring throughout all IMDb it's quite frequent to find that's what most Hollywood-trained moviegoers think.

I hope this film, as many others in the new French cinema will make them change their opinion.

Crustacés et Coquillages is one of the wittiest comedies around. The script is absolutely unpredictable, with so many funny notes to every "serious" content, that will keep you laughing to it's completely nuts ending. Shot and played beautifully during summertime in Côte d'Azur, this film puts you in a roller-coaster ride of reality, insanity and very serious affairs without ever being annoying or insulting.

The roles are carefully cherry-picked for every character. I wouldn't like to say what many others have already said (telling what the film is about) but to tell you that the meat of this film are the topics of today's real life. Topics that should be encouraged to talk about before things get too complicated with our children. Topics that are simply taken for granted when they shouldn't. As someone else already pointed out, this is a French film with all the possible "frenchness" in it, but, amazingly, taking things on the light side.

Finally, I'd suggest to watch closely the film-making process. Its cinematography, too, is very French and, as such, outstanding, without enormous resources. The cast is perfect: they portray exactly what they are and, then, it turns out to be exactly the opposite! Locations and dim-light situations are pushed to the limits, again, strapping resources. All in all a good film that lingers in the back of your mind longer than you'd think... as its music will surely do, too.

Not only is this a French comedy, but it is also the MOST French movie ever made. It's is French in every way. A husband and wife take their teenage son and daughter to a seaside resort on the Riviera for the summer. The mother is totally French with her unshaved armpits, pot smoking, adulterous affair, and the way she so easily and casually talks about sex with her kids. The daughter leaves the resort early on in the film after she climbs onto the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle to ride to Portugal. The son has long, thick, curly hair and is completely sexually confused when he invites his gay friend, Martin, to stay for the summer. And the dad is the most French of them all. He watches Martin masturbate in the shower, and then reunites with his gay lover from his youth. Oh, and there's singing and dancing, too. If you love French comedies, this is the definitive. If, on the other hand, masturbation, adultery, and homosexuality make you uncomfortable, this may not be the film for you.

Sorry, I really didn't care for this movie. I wanted to very much. I just couldn't make myself like it.

All of the plot points center on a shower in a vacation house on the Cote d'Azur. So much happens in the shower that not titling it Le Douche is almost false advertising. If the shellfish referred to in the (original) French title--and in song--have some sly double entendre meaning, it went over my head. Are they referring to males and females acting like males and females? Oh. How clever.

The comedic slash farce-like plot never interested me for one moment.

I didn't like the characters very much either, all of whom were self-centered and deceiving each other in some way. I particularly disliked the son who is, I think, supposed to be sexy and cute and the main attraction for us gay guys. I found his nonstop petulance and chip-on-shoulder teenager act really irritating but not quite as irritating as his ridiculous lion's mane hairdo. And I usually like guys with long hair. . . . .

But the worst, for me, was seeing the characters "step outside the frame" of the movie and sing songs directly to the viewer. Let me tell you, Umbrellas of Cherbourg it ain't. It only happens a couple times, thank god, but that was more than enough. Could this be intended as a self-referential tongue-in-cheek comment on French films by a French filmmaker? I don't think so, but that might be one explanation. . . .

Nice, french and seductive. Story of holiday, spiced and musical, a comedy about relations and escapes, sentimental adventure and erotic games, teenage problems, appearances and reality. Only a joke, in fact. But the essence is more than spam. Errors and feelings in a strange circle. A mirror with many faces, belly for faces and gestures. Trip to happiness and slices of "A midsummer night's dream". Map of ordinary existence, uncomplicated and naive, honest and dramatic,fresco of a marriage an a critically age, of natural abdication and final happiness, a fable about moral, sex and homosexuality. Basic ingredients and pretty songs. Aplauses and curtain.

Just to follow up on the question regarding Karaoke versions of the Songs. The UK DVD (Cockles & Muscles) has Karaoke versions (in French of course).

Also included are outtakes, Director commentary, detailed Q&A in Cardiff with the directors and two really funny documentaries: "Dance of the Cockles" which is about the making of the dance sequence and "Shooting in the Shower" which tells you everything you need to know about shooting masturbation scenes in the shower.

It comes in a great fold out collectable DVD package, complete with a message from the directors and lost of behind the scenes pics.

I don't think it's a coincidence that this 2006 French comedy was released as both "Côte d'Azur" and as "Cockles and Muscles" in respective territories and at respective times. Fact being, it is a bit rubbish. In 2001, there was an Argentinian film released entitled "The Swamp"; a film set in a humid, although wetter on account of straddling a jungle, locale at a large property on a stretch of land somewhere Argentina where the sun shone but there was a muggy feel to things. The Swamp wasn't perfect, but it looks like the shining beacon upon which films of this ilk should be based compared to Cockles and Muscles; a film dealing with, you'd have to say, some rather adult issues and decent basis' upon for a film to exist but done so in a carefree, flash-in-the-pan fashion that often strikes us as just childish where there might be potential.

Like co directors Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau's effort here, The Swamp saw a truck of disparate characters, of whom were mostly related but had some friends with them, thrust together under the beating sun with nary another soul for quite some distance around them struggling with repressed sexual urges and the attractions they felt towards some of those present. The idea is that the heat and emotions combine to make for a stifling, pent up film studying people (in The Swamp's case, wearing very little on account of access to a nearby pool) smirking and gesturing to others they quite fancy although are too capricious to act on it.

"Sex"

There we go - I said it, and in a nutshell, you have exactly how it is the film feels is a sensible, constructive way about which to go exploring people of an array of ages; sexual orientations and across both genders go about dealing and reacting to such a thing. Cockles and Muscles is set over a summer holiday in the South East of France, and depicts a large (too large) group of people mostly of the same family talking and acting on their frank attitudes towards such a subject. It's throw away and mostly inconsequential, often dull and a bit annoying but I think it's made with the best of intentions as the screenwriter tries to throw together all of this material and content and make it work, but where its heart's in the right place, it's brain is away on a summer holiday of its own. Infidelity, homosexuality, marriage, virginity the potential for one night stands are on the menu in Ducastel and Martineau's feature, a film getting most things wrong although not without establishing some potential before taking apparent glee in wrecking everything again.

It is the character of Marc (Melki) who owns the old house on the French coast, a man who has headed there with his wife and sons for this holiday. Béatrix (Tedeschi) is his wife, and is having a relationship with a local man, although there is no conviction whatsoever behind this affair and not for one second do we believe she would be with this kind of person. Béatrix is a non-entity of a character; a flat, bland and seemingly unintelligent woman we have little interest in and long to be off camera, whereas there is no reason for her to be anywhere near Mathieu (Bonnaffé), who's ugly and unattractive anyway and is the man with whom she shares her love outside of matrimony. The son, Charly (Torres), is single and straight but is taken under the wing somewhat of a homosexual individual staying with them called Martin (Collin). Breaking away from potentially interesting content depicting Charly and what he really wants and who he really is, is the story of how Martin strikes up a relationship with a local plumber named Didier (Barr). Their scenes are much more interesting that the languid ones involving Béatrix and the more complicated dynamic between her; her lover and her husband.

The film is, as a whole, just kind of dull; a criminal thing when one is dealing with so many differing characters at so many different stages of their lives with the potential for so much. The co-directors, who also wrote the project, bite off too much to absorb and often undercut the potentially interesting stuff to give everyone a fair crack: the wholly unlikeable eventual leads, in the adults, given perky and unnecessarily screen time killing off our interest and patience. Plot and such is non-existent, whereas no one necessarily transcends through any sort of change. As a coming of age piece, the film is flat and without vigour; as something trying to depict infidelities, it is without drama, tension and any kind of maturity in regards to the moral implications. As one of those pieces depicting a person, or group of people, heading away to an alien place and feeling like it genuinely changed them come the time to return home again, it fails miserably. Israeli film Eyes Wide Open; something like Chabrol's La femme infidèle and perhaps even Polanski's Bitter Moon are all films having a good crack at most of what's depicted herein, each of them as exciting, somewhat bold and involving as each other. Less can be said for Cockels and Muscles wherein there is not, in fact, very much to get excited about - a sorry film whose potential is constantly undermined and whose presence we tire of very quickly.

Some sauce is going on, and gay going on. Is girly haired son Charly a? No, turns out his dad is.

"Its nice being bored on holiday" says Mother to Charly. No it isn't. You've got to be up to something. Have your skinny balding lover arriving for some shagging on the rocks; he keeps his flat cap on.

More jerking off in the shower (friend Martin) Dad is getting stiffies watching and imagining.

More jerking off in the shower (Dad now) It's a beautiful world this Cote D' Azur if you lay back, and do who or whatever you want.

Occasional "step outside the frame" song and dance routines occur to inflate light-hearted larkiness but come across as looking ludicrous.

"Silly soufflé of seaside shenanigans, sexy secrets, and jerking off in the shower" would be my strap line.

I learnt that sea violets are a soft shellfish.

I'm scratching my head why BBC4 showed this.

Adolescence is a difficult age. Everyone knows that. But is it mainly problematic because teenagers rebel against their parents? Or is it the sexual awakening which makes progenitors uneasy? "Crustacés & Coquillages" revisits these questions in a story about love, self-discovery and vacations.

A family owns a beach house in the Cote D'Azur so they decide to spend the summer there. As they arrive, their son Charly receives the visit of his best friend Martin. As the days go by, Beatrix, Charly's mother, comes to a conclusion: the two kids are gay and are currently a couple. However Marc, the father, angrily refuses to accept this possibility.

Why is Charly's father such a paramount character here? Because the name of the father is the only thing that prevents a boy from turning gay. When Jacques Lacan defined the meaning of the 'nom de père' he relied on a French word game. The 'nom de père' is the name of the father but is also the No of the father. According to Lacanian theory it doesn't matter if a child is raised without fatherly figures as long as the mother invokes the name of the father, which ultimately is the origin of the tribal law, the social indictment; and it is so because the name of the father is also the definitive negative. When the child asks 'why not' the father can always answer 'because'. As tautological as it may sound, is the father who attributes himself the final word. And when there is no father then the mother must reenact this dynamic by conferring upon her the authority derived from the father. More traditional psychoanalysis would suggest that a child raised without a father could be prone to feminization (isn't it a common place to say that gays act like women?); Lacan proposes that as long as the 'nom de père' is imprinted upon the mind of the child then the risk of becoming homosexual would be thus ruled out.

But what happens when it is precisely that risk what worries Marc the most? Beatrix seems perfectly fine with having a gay son, while Marc is about to lose his temper. What they completely ignore is that Charly is, in fact, straight, although his friend Martin is gay. Certainly, this doesn't seclude the youngsters from behaving oddly at times. For instance, when Charly announces to his friend that he is going to masturbate in the shower, the viewer sees Martin unbuttoning his short and placing his hand down his underwear. Is it enticing for Martin to imagine what his friend is doing in the shower? Can he come to an orgasm while picturing his best friend? Certainly, the best alternative is to stop cold turkey, which is what Martin does. This moment mirrors a previous scene in which Charly gets caught by his mother. As one can easily comprehend, masturbation is always interrupted. Perhaps, as Michel Foucault wrote in in Histoire de la Sexualité, puritan minds can barely stand the idea of masturbation, but the possibility of fantasizing to fuel masturbatory acts is even more despicable. And that's exactly what masturbation is all about. As Foucault explained, masturbation is not possible without fantasy. Fantasy must be there, either in the form of a sexualized other or in any other way that could be sexually stimulant. To put it simply, one does not wildly masturbate reading the phone book.

Charly is a bit shy and his lack of success with girls get him frustrated at times. It is then when he suggests a "jerking-off" contest with Martin and they quarrel about it. Perhaps in the heterosexual mindset, such games or practices would be deprived of any further meaning, nevertheless what is clear to the viewer is that Martin has no intentions of jeopardizing this friendship by indulging in mutual sexual stimulation. It's clear that an unresolved sexual tension erects a barrier among the two boys, to the point that Charly asks Martin bluntly if he thinks of him while masturbating.

But one cannot cover this topic enough. As Martin successfully finishes pleasuring himself in the shower, he is accidentally observed by Marc, who immediately recurs to his wife to have sex with an energy that had apparently disappeared over the course of the years. After going cruising, Martin is beset and out of confusion tries to hit Marc. Marc, as a good father, calms him down and they both end up sleeping in the same bed. The morning after, Marc wakes up, goes into the shower and starts stroking his penis vigorously. What is the meaning of all this? What does Marc represent truly as a fatherly figure? More importantly if, according to psychoanalytic theory, Marc is in a sexually confused state of mind, can he still function as the fatherly figure? Perhaps one might wonder then, what it is that Charly rebels against? It has been made clear by Freud that every son must kill his father to have carnal commerce with the mother (this is all symbolic, of course), but what would occur if the father cannot represent a rivalry for the love of the mother? What then? Charly's Oedipus complex is not at as easy as one could have ventured at first. We are not in front of a typical teenager fending off in a "normal" family. Why, here even Beatrix has her own secrets.

One thing is worth noting, though, like every other teen, Charly must first figure out what it is he wants, and for that he must redefine his relationships with the rest of the world, namely, with his father and his best friend. Without spoiling the end I can only say that in the same way fantasy is indispensable for masturbation, fantasy will also be the key to come up with a suitable solution for everyone.