Un Air de Famille

Description

Named one of the "ten best films of the year" by Time Out New York, Un Air de Famille is a sharp and biting comic drama about a dysfunctional family that gets together for dinner once a week. Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Filmographies & Awards, Production Credits, Widescreen Presentation

Customer Reviews:

Unhappy People and Cigarettes.......2006-05-21

My wife sometimes objects to my procurement of French films of a certain vintage because there is "too much inane conversation, smoking, and sitting around." I'm sorry to report that she is often correct in her analysis, and this film would be the latest example.

While I often disagree with THE NEW YORKER's Anthony Lane, his review of "Un Air de Famille" (listed above) hits the mark exactly. It is immediately apparent that this film is based on a play (written by the actors playing Henri and Betty.) It's entirely set in a seedy cafe that I instantly wanted the characters to leave.

No such luck.

As the family gathering coalesces, the actors do a good job of fleshing out their characters. But they just aren't interesting enough to fascinate, and they're not funny enough to be anything but unhappy bores. (I am giving this three stars on the strength of their heroic attempts to inhabit their roles.)

Maybe I should concentrate on more Italian films...

Fascinating and funny insight into the French .......2006-02-28

A truly excellent film which is both funny and insightful. As always the French are the masters of capturing the subtlety and strengths of human psychology. Highly recommended to all who enjoy French cinema and the exploration of human relationships in all their guises.

It really looked good, but..........2005-08-21

The subtitles did not work properly, with only about 20% of the dialog being shown in English. Perhaps I got a bad DVD.

A refreshingly hilarious movie.......2005-06-20

I borrowed the movie on VHS from my local library to "brush up" on my college French. (Don't worry, there are English subtitles.) The movie turned out to be one of the funniest and most poignant movies I had seen in a very long time.

The movie explores a dysfunctional family, and what happens when they come together for an evening dinner/family outing: two brothers (and their wives), the tomboy sister (and her secret boyfriend), and their overbearing mother who is always making barbed, hurtful remarks (in the form of being "helpful" or dispensing motherly advice.)

When they come together, all hell breaks out and the hilarity begins: heated exchanges, accusations, lie, threats, phone calls, etc. I laughed so hard and so much at this movie. It isn't raunchy Adam Sandler-humor; it's intelligent, sophisicated, non-vulgar humor. And it's refreshing.

I felt like I was watching my own family on TV. Any viewer can relate to this family because the movie isn't about French families; it's about families everywhere, especially yours, and the writing and the cast are superb. This movie is truly great.

Like an episode of "Raymond" rewritten by Edward Albee.......2004-10-21

This is at the intersection of two genres: the family comedy with hilarious archetypes (the long-running "Everybody loves Raymond" CBS comedy comes to mind) and the family drama where closets are ripped open for skeletons to spill out (think "Long Day's Journey Into Night"). This clever film from a long running play makes you realize how much in common there is between a family comedy and a family tragedy. Some scenes are hanging in between, and you don't quite know whether to laugh or shudder. At the end of this movie, you have that sweaty-chilly feeling that the party has lasted too long, like at the end of "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Recommended, especially if you know French families.

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